


Almost Paradise

by IcyJadeXOXO, Section Eight Entertainment (IcyJadeXOXO)



Category: White Collar
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-01
Updated: 2012-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-31 22:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/349278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyJadeXOXO/pseuds/IcyJadeXOXO, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyJadeXOXO/pseuds/Section%20Eight%20Entertainment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving New York City, it's just Neal, Mozzie and “Lolana”. A new beginning, perhaps? New problems on the horizon? But how does it end? [Follows "Judgment Day"...some spoilers]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lolana

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to write my own conclusion to "Judgment Day". I thought long and hard on which exotic location to set the story. I think you know where this is headed.
> 
> DISCLAIMER : I don't own any of the recognizable characters. They belong to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network.

 

* * *

**KUTA BEACH, LOMBOK, INDONESIA...**

**  
**

Neal Caffrey stood by the beach, as he let the soft waves of the clear, blue waters hypnotize him, the relaxing sounds doing very little to help his tensed nerves. What a difference a day makes. Less than 24 hours ago, he had a life in New York City. He had a job, as low-paying as it was. He was wearing expensive signature suit and Italian leather shoes. He had an apartment with an amazing view of the city. Most of all, he had people he considered as family and friends, that took him almost three and a half decades to find.

Now, here he was, practically on the other side of the world, wearing casual khaki trousers, white cotton chinos, and sandals. Or as Moz calls them, 'man-dals'. He had no job, not that he'd ever have to worry about money. He was staying in a beach front resort, with a view that a lot of people would die for. In a place where nobody knew his name, except for Mozzie.

Good ol' Mozzie...always thinking ahead. Their friendship has been tried and tested, more so this year than the previous ones...but Neal knew where his friend's loyalty lies. Still, Neal couldn't help but miss the ones he left behind.

He missed June, who served as his fairy godmother ever since he got out of prison. She was more of a mother to him than anyone else. Her generosity made his life outside of the big house a lot more bearable than it should have been, and for that he will be eternally grateful.

He missed Sara. His relationship with her had evolved from enemies, to friends, to more-than-friends, to casual lovers, and then back to being friends. She helped him in times that he needed her, when she didn't have to. As complicated as they were together, Neal wouldn't throw away the times they spent with each other.

He missed Jones and Diana. No surprise there. Neal Caffrey was a criminal, and yet they treated him more like a friend and a colleague. They argued a lot with him, but at the end of the day, he knew that they have his back if an ugly situation arise.

He missed Elizabeth. He missed her beauty and grace and kindness and love. She always made Neal feel welcome, even though a lot of those times, he was intruding in the quality time she spent with her husband. Neal admired Elizabeth's strength and spirit. Even after her ordeal with Keller, she chose to forgive Neal and Mozzie's involvement. Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine". And if Neal could think of one word to describe Elizabeth, that would be it...DIVINE.

And out of all the friends Neal had lost, he missed Peter the most. Who would have thought that a friendship would grow between a master criminal and the FBI agent who sent him to prison? But it happened. Peter had been an amazing partner and an even better friend. Neal didn't voice it out loud but, Peter was the brother he wished he had. He loved him and respected him, more than he cared to admit. The good that Neal has in him right now was mostly due to Peter's influence.

Neal sighed as he took in the beautiful scenery around him. It was more than nice, it was breath-taking. But it would would have been better if he had friends and family to share it with.

 _Almost paradise._  Neal whispered under his breath. He was startled when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

" _There you are."_  Mozzie said.

" _Here I am."_  Neal replied, turning around to face his friend.

" _Ohhh, you don't look so good. Have you slept?"_  Mozzie asked him

" _Tried to...I couldn't. I still have whiplash due to how fast the direction of my life has changed within the past day."_  Neal answered.

" _Get some rest at least."_  Mozzie told him.

Neal shook his head.  _"I can't."_  he said. He looked at how Mozzie was dressed. _"Going somewhere, Moz?"_  he asked.

" _I'm taking a boat to Bali."_  Mozzie replied.

" _Why?"_  Neal pressed.

" _I need to see a friend regarding 'liquidating' some of our assets."_ Mozzie explained.  _"Go have some fun while I'm gone. Go snorkeling or bar hopping or something."_  he told Neal.

" _No way! I'm coming with you."_  Neal told him.

" _What? You don't trust me?"_  Mozzie asked, visibly hurt.

" _It's not that, Moz. I'm going crazy out here. If you leave me in this island, I might do something stupid."_  Neal explained.

" _Like hopping on the next plane back to New York, you mean?"_  Mozzie understood.

" _Exactly."_  Neal said.

" _Alright. But let me handle the negotiation. You can stay on the boat."_  Mozzie tried to bargain.

" _We'll work something out once we get there, Moz."_  Neal answered, as he walked with him to shore.

 

* * *

**BIAS TEGUL BEACH, PADANGBAI, BALI...**

Neal and Mozzie got off the boat, and into the port of the small fishing village. Mozzie asked one of the fishermen for directions and then went back to Neal.

" _Stay here-"_  Mozzie said before Neal interrupted him.

" _And what? Guard the boat? No way, Moz!"_  Neal replied.  _"Let's get this_ _over with."_ he added, as he started walking.

Their little stroll involved a 15-minute walk up and over a hill. Once they got there, they saw a white sand beach cleverly hidden from view. A heavenly paradise with turquoise water, and palm trees swaying in the breeze, with sand that felt like talcum powder and squeaks between your toes. They stopped in front of a warung near the beach, that said " **LOLANA's Tiki Lounge** " and went inside.

Once inside, they headed towards the bar and was greeted by a cheerful barmaid. She was tall, and strikingly beautiful, with a South American accent.

" _Let me guess...two wayward travelers looking to quench their thirst?"_  said 'Lima', the name on her name tag.

Mozzie gave her a smile.  _"Actually, we're hoping to see 'Lolana'. Is she here? We're old friends of hers from back home."_  he asked.

Lima looked Mozzie, and then at Neal, then back to Mozzie. She arched an eyebrow before she spoke again.  _"Lolana."_  she called someone from the back. No one answered.  _"Oh, Lolana!_ " she repeated, only louder. Still no one answered.  _"LO-LA-NA!"_  she called again, but to no avail. Finally she gave up.  _"Hey, Sierra! Get your butt out here! There are two guys here looking for you!"_  she yelled. She looked at Neal and Mozzie again and gave them a sultry smile.  _"And they're both HOT."_  she added.

Moments later, a woman came out of the seashell curtain and walked into the bar. Mozzie's grin grew into a huge smile, while Neal was left stunned when he saw who 'Lolana' was. She was facing away from them, talking to Lima.

" _What is it?"_  she asked Lima.

Lima cocked her head towards the two.  _"They said they wanted to see you."_  she answered.

Mozzie waved his hand.  _"Hi."_  he said with a grin.

" _Get out!"_  said 'Lolana', as she moved closer to them.

" _Ummm...RUDE!"_  Lima told her.

" _Yes, very rude!"_  Mozzie agreed.

Neal just remained silent, still surprised to see her. There she was in front of them, an angry expression on her usually cordial, pretty face. Her hair pulled up to a loose pony tail, her lithe body dressed in denim shorts, a white tank top and flip flops on her feet.

" _What's going on, Sierra?"_  Lima asked her.

" _Stay out of this, Lima!"_  she warned the barmaid.

She walked out of the bar and headed towards Neal and Mozzie. She stopped in front of them and glared at them for a moment. She stared at Neal first. Then, without warning, she gave him a resounding slap on his face. She then faced Mozzie and did the same. After that, she walked away from them and back into the bar, leaving the two to holding their aching cheeks.

It was Mozzie who spoke first.  _"Okay, we deserved that."_  he said.

" _Speak for yourself!"_  Neal argued, still rubbing his face.

" _No, what you DESERVE, I can't give you because I only have two hands!"_  she told them.

" _Look, I understand why you're angry, but violence never solved anything!"_  Mozzie tried to reason with her.

" _You're right."_  she agreed. She then grabbed the hose from the bar and sprayed water in their faces, leaving them dripping wet.

Just then, two men came forward, and were about to subdue Neal and Mozzie. She waved her hand at them and shook her head.

" _Jangan! [Don't!_ _]"_  she said.

Mozzie turned to her.  _"Ohhh...you speak Balinese?"_  he asked.

" _You don't?"_  she snapped back.

" _Look, is there somewhere we can speak in private?"_ Neal asked.

" _Yes, private."_ Mozzie agreed.  _"And preferably somewhere away from easily thrown objects, both sharp and blunt."_  he added.

Neal leaned closer.  _"Please, Alex."_  he whispered to her.

Alex nodded.  _"Outside."_  she said. Neal and Mozzie proceeded to the door. She turned to Lima.  _"Saya akan kembali satu jam lagi. [I'll be back later.]"_  she told her, before following Neal and Mozzie.

Outside, Neal and Mozzie was waiting for her. The walked towards the beach, away from the people. They were silent for a while, each waiting for the other one to speak.

" _So...'Lolana', huh?"_  It was Neal who broke the silence.

" _It was the name of the bar when I bought it. I figured it was easier to keep the name since the place already had loyal customers."_ Alex replied, less angry, but still irritated.

" _But they know you as 'Sierra'."_ Neal clarified.

"" _Sierra Storm. That's the name on my paperwork. You know how it goes. Just like yours say...?"_  Alex asked.

" _Victor Moreau."_  Neal answered.

" _Robert Zulu."_  Mozzie chimed in.  _"But everyone calls me 'Bob'."_ he added, which earned another glare from Alex.  _"Right...still angry."_  he said.

" _Can you blame me, Mozzie?"_ Alex asked him.  _"I've spent my entire adult life searching for that treasure. I put in a lot of work and then you two just screwed me over!"_  she yelled.

" _And we're very sorry for that. But for your information-"_  Mozzie said before Alex interrupted them.

" _Keller claimed full credit and responsibility for the treasure's recovery. Yes, so I've heard."_  Alex told him. Her face was masked in anger again.  _"I hope that son of a bitch rots in prison for what he did to Hale!"_ she hissed.

" _How did you find out?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _I have eyes and ears everywhere, Mozzie. I live longer that way."_  Alex replied, before she started to walk away again.

" _Alex, we need your expertise."_ Neal called her back.

" _Of course, you do!"_  Alex snapped at him.  _"The only time you ever make an attempt to find me is when you need something."_  she said.

" _We're on the lam!"_  Mozzie told her.

" _Yes, that part's pretty obvious, Moz!"_  Alex replied.  _"Caffrey sans the anklet...you suddenly popping up asking for help. What, you want me to liquidate some of your assets? Is that it?"_ she pressed.

" _That was the idea, yes."_  Mozzie answered.

" _Well you can forget it. I don't do that anymore."_ Alex told them. She started to walk away again.

" _We're asking for your help, Alex. I'm asking for your help."_ Neal pleaded.

" _And I'm loving every moment of it."_  Alex replied, without stopping or turning back.

Neal and Mozzie ran after her. Neal grabbed her arm lightly and turned her around to face him.

" _Listen to me, Alex. I can't go back, alright. I wish to God that I can, but I can't go back. If I do, I'm looking at 25 years to life in Sing Sing. I am asking for your help...PLEASE."_  Neal begged.

Alex looked at him and saw his honesty and desperation. Finally, she relented.  _"I may know someone who can help you two. It might take a few days."_  she told them

" _We're staying at a resort in Kuta Beach in South Lombok."_  Mozzie informed her.

" _Just leave me a number where I can reach you."_ Alex told him

" _No need."_  Neal said.  _"We're going to be staying here in Bali."_  he let her know.

" _We are?"_  Mozzie asked him, sounding surprised.

" _Yes. We're going to head back in Lombok, get our things and then we'll be back here tonight."_  Neal told him. He turned to Alex.  _"Think you can spare a bed for a friend?"_  he asked her with a smile.

" _I'll see what I can arrange."_  Alex replied. With she turned away and walked back to the Tiki Lounge.

Neal followed her with his eyes for a while until Mozzie told him that they should get going as well. They walked back to the boat together.

From the window Alex observed Neal and Mozzie for a while until they headed back to port. Lima noticed her staring outside.

" _So...friends from back home, huh?"_ Lima asked.

" _Yeah, things are about to get interesting."_  Alex replied.

" _I am ready for some action, baby girl."_  Lima told her.

" _Not this kind of action, you don't."_  Alex said cryptically, before heading back towards the bar.

* * *

**KUTA BEACH, LOMBOK...**

" _Why didn't you tell me Alex was here?"_  Neal asked Mozzie.

" _Because I didn't want you to know. There was a reason why I wanted you to stay_ _on the boat."_ was Mozzie's simple reply.

" _Again...why?"_  Neal pressed

" _Because I know you. You would ask her to come with us. And the last thing we need is another third wheel."_ Mozzie answered.  _"She'll just be cramping our style, Neal!"_  he added

" _You're wrong."_ Neal told him.

" _About her cramping our style, or about you wanting to ask her to come with us?"_  Mozzie pried.

Neal didn't answer him. He continued to pack his traveler bag and hurriedly left the villa. Mozzie followed closely behind him until they reached the boat that was going to take them back to Bali. The rest of the trip went on in silence.

* * *

**LOLANA'S TIKI LOUNGE, PADANGBAI, BALI...**

Lima smiled as soon as she saw Mozzie and Neal walk into the bar. She turned to Alex.  _"Hey, your boys are back!"_  she announced.

" _Oh, great."_ Alex replied sarcastically.  _"Hide the women and the booze."_  she told her.

" _Oh come on, Sierra! We can hide the women, but these guys deserve a drink."_  Lima said with a wink.

" _Thank you, Lima!"_  Mozzie said.  _"I knew I liked you from the moment I first saw you. We'll take a bottle of M_ oët _and two glasses, please."_  he told her.

" _How about two bottles of beer and I DON'T kick you in the nuts?"_  Alex replied.

" _Lady, you drive a hard bargain."_  Mozzie answered.

Neal looked around the place. It was packed with both locals and tourists.  _"Nice little business you got going here."_  he said.

 _"Lima manages the place. I help when I can."_  Alex said, handing him a bottle of beer.

" _Which is not that often, since she's away most of the time."_  Lima piped in.

" _Away where?"_  Neal asked.

" _Just away."_  Alex answered cryptically, without looking at him.

Mozzie downed the rest of his beer.  _"Thank you kindly for the beer. Now, at the risk of sounding demanding...may I ask where we will be staying tonight?"_  he inquired.

Lima looked at Alex and smiled. She turned back to Mozzie. _"We've made some arrangements that we thought you might like."_  she answered. She went to the back room to get something.

" _She's HOT."_  Mozzie whispered to Neal.

" _She's a foot taller than you."_  Neal told him.

" _Yeah, but I bet you she's worth the climb."_  Mozzie replied, wiggling his eyebrows. He shut up when he saw Lima came out of the back room and returned to the bar.

 _"We thought putting you both in one place would be a little cramped for two of you, so we got you separate ones."_  Lima told them, holding out two keys on her hands.  _"Let's go!"_  she said as she took Mozzie's hand and led him away from the bar. She tossed the other key to Alex, who caught it with great ease.

Alex turned to look at Neal.  _"Well, you heard her. Let's go."_  she told him, as she followed Lima and Mozzie, Neal closely behind her.

Outside, the four of them walked in the beach, the darkness had already set in. They passed some tired surfers and night swimmers along the way...a few lovers kissing under a tree. And who can blame them, the place looked very romantic, especially underneath the pale moonlight.

Lima stopped walking and tugged on Mozzie's arm.  _"Your place is right over there."_ she pointed to a beach house not too far away, but hidden underneath the palm trees.  _"It's nice...quiet...private. No one can hear you scream."_  she hinted not too subtly , she walked towards it, her index finger curling, signaling Mozzie to come with her.

Mozzie looked at Neal and Alex.  _"You know the rules. If the cabana is a rockin'...don't come a knockin'!"_  he told them. With that, he turned away and followed Lima in a hurry.

" _Gee, thanks, Mozzie."_  Alex called after him.  _"I'm gonna have trouble_ _sleeping tonight with that image inside my head."_  she muttered under her breath. She turned to Neal.  _"Okay then, Mr. Moreau. Your beach front bungalow awaits. Right this way."_  she told him

She led Neal to a single story house right near the beach. She handed him the key. Neal opened the door and they went inside. The place looked bigger on the inside. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen at the back, living room at the center.

" _This is really nice, Alex. Thank you."_  Neal said to her.

" _You haven't seen the best part."_  Alex replied. She pulled the blinds of the huge bay window. From outside, you can see a perfect view of the full moon, the light hitting the turquoise waters. _"Beautiful, isn't it?"_  she asked him, her face graced with a serene smile.

Neal ignore the view and just stared at her, lost in her beauty.  _"Breath-taking."_ he said.

Alex turned to face him.  _"Welcome to paradise, Caffrey!"_  she said, a short burst of laughter escaping her lips.

Neal walked closer and stood in front of her. He stared into her eyes for a while, then he took a deep breath. He took her hands and wrapped both her arms around his neck. He planted his hand at the back of her head, caressing her hair, his other hand slid down the small of her back, pulling her close. He leaned in until their foreheads and noses were touching.

Moments later, his lips touched hers with an open-mouthed kiss. Their tongues danced inside each others mouth, breathing in each others breaths. They could hear each other moan in pleasure as the kiss deepened. This continued for a few minutes, until Alex pressed her palms against his chest and pulled away, leaving Neal confused.

" _I should get going."_  Alex told him, turning away from him.

" _Okay."_  Neal replied, a puzzled look forming on his face.  _"I'll see you tomorrow then."_ he managed to say.

" _Maybe. But then again, maybe not."_  she answered mysteriously.

" _What? You have something planned for tomorrow?"_ Neal asked her.

" _You could say that."_  Alex said as she head for the door.  _"I'm getting married tomorrow."_ she announced, leaving Neal surprised.  _"See you around, Caffrey."_ she told him, then she turned around and left the house.

Neal was left stunned, his throat, dry, and his mouth partially open, as tried to find the words to say. It was too late when he found his voice. _"Alex, wait!"_  he yelled after her. He ran out the door to go after her, but she was already gone. He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. Alex, after all, has always been a lot better at disappearing acts than he was. With a heavy heart, and his head hung low, he went back inside the house.

* * *

**TBC...maybe. Let me know if you want this to continue. ~XOXO~**


	2. Regrets....I've Had a Few

Neal tossed and turned most of the night, his body struggled yet again to get a good night's sleep. Finally, he gave up when he saw the clock. It was several minutes before 6 in the morning, local time. That makes it a grand total of 3 and a half hours of sleep in the past couple of days. He sighed as he got out of bed.

He wore his denim jeans and threw a shirt on but decided against the shoes, and headed out the door for an early morning walk. He figured he should take a short walk barefoot on the beach, with hopes that the morning sea breeze could do wonders for his addled brain. Outside, it was still a little dark, but you can see a small glimmer of light in the sky, a sign that daybreak is coming soon.

The weather was nice...not cold, but not too warm. He ran up to the shore and let his feet get wet. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. Then, he proceeded to take a stroll. He just walked and walked, with no particular destination in mind. He simply went with the direction where his feet decided to carry him. He thought that walking would help clear his mind. He was wrong. He started to think while he walked. He began to remember.

 _Alex._  Neal couldn't get her out of his head.

Alex was a friend that came with complications, Neal knew that from the beginning. But she was a kindred spirit, which Neal liked about her from the very start. She was a lot like him. She had a passion for everything... life, art, history, and so on. And they have been wildly attracted to each other since the day they met. Chemistry was never the problem between them. There was more than enough of that, for sure.

No, the problem was their timing. They could never get the timing right. The first time Alex came back in his life, he was already committed to Kate. The time after that, he was with Sara. And now that Neal is not with anybody, and was currently back in her life, she is with someone else. Their timing just don't seem to mesh with each other.

Neal shook his head, and continued to walk, and think. There was something off, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what. Alexandra Hunter is getting married, that is what's off. Alex, the woman who couldn't be tied down. Alex, who's always solution to a problem is to run. Alex, who is afraid of commitment. Alex, who didn't care to share her life with another person. Alex, who was always wary of getting close to someone for fear of getting hurt. THAT Alex. She's getting married today.

 _She can't be. Not my Alex._  Neal thought. Then he shook his head again.  _What do you mean YOUR Alex, Neal? She hasn't been yours for years! Hell, she wasn't even yours to begin with!_ he scoffed.

But Alex wasn't the marrying type. That's the quality that separated her from Neal. Neal was the romantic one, with his head on the clouds and stars in his eyes. He was the one who dreamt of a future...of the perfect life...wife, kids, white picket fence, maybe a dog and a cat. Alex, on the other hand, lived from one adventure to the other. She lived for today, never worrying about tomorrow. Not to say that she was heartless...but she wasn't heavily invested on emotions. Or at least, that's what Neal thought.

Whoever Alex is marrying must be one hell of a guy. Neal wondered what he was like. Is he kind? Is he funny? Is he handsome? Is he sexy? Is he rich? Knowing Alex, the last one would be the most important quality. No, that's not true. Alex didn't do what she did for the money. That was a common misconception. She did it to prove that she can. She did it for the thrill. She did it for the rush. She did it for the adventure. She did it to fulfill her grandfather's dying wish. The big score was just icing on the cake.

 _So why the hell is she getting married then?_  Neal asked himself, kicking a sea shell on the sand. He still couldn't wrap his head around the idea.

Neal looked around him and realized he had strayed a little further than he thought. His aimless stroll had led him to the next village. It was small, yet filled with unspoiled beauty. Lots of coconut palm trees swaying in the breeze. The water was the same color as Neal's eyes. Blue Lagoon Beach was the name written on the sign. He couldn't help but smile. It was one of Alex's favourite movies.

As he took in the scenery that was in front of him, he noticed another person on the beach. His smile widened when he recognized who it was. Her olive skin glowed against the white, two-piece swimsuit she wore underneath her sheer tunic cover-up. Her hair was all wet as if she just went for a swim. She was sitting down on the sand, by the shore, her knees brought up to her chest as her well-toned arms hugged her bare legs. Her gaze was upon the horizon.

Neal walked towards where she was and sat down next to her. She didn't say anything at first. She didn't move. She didn't even bother to look at him. She just continued to gaze at the sky. For a while, they remained in that position in silence.

Finally, she spoke.  _"Watch closely what happens next, Caffrey."_  Alex told him.

Neal smiled.  _"What exactly am I looking for, Alex?"_  he asked her.

" _The sunrise. Watch the sunrise."_  Alex answered, without taking her eyes off the sky.

" _I'm more of a sunset kind of guy."_  Neal said.

" _Anyone can watch the sunset, Caffrey. Not everyone can bear witness to the birth of a brand new day."_ Alex told him, still avoiding his gaze.

They sat together and watched as the sun rose. On any other day, it was just another sunrise. Today was different though. Today felt like another lifetime from yesterday, or two days ago, for that matter. Another chance. A new dawn. A new day. A new life. A new beginning. A new promise. An affirmation of changes to come. Something that Neal may or may not be prepared for. One thing's for sure though...ready or not, he doesn't have any other choice but to face the challenge head on.

Neal's smile broadened. Everything seems clearer now. He has no idea what tomorrow has in store for him, but for now, he's free. He was FREE. His smile turned into a chuckle, and then grew into a laugh. He whooped with joy and continued to laugh until tears were coming out of his eyes.

Then, he got up to his feet. Alex watched him as he ran towards the water, like a little boy who just saw the ocean for the first time. And he began to swim. He swam back and forth until his legs got tired. Finally, he swam to shore, got out of the water, and headed back towards Alex.

" _Got that out of your system, did you?"_ she asked.

" _The water feels perfect."_  he answered, as he dropped down to the ground next to her, his clothes drenched.

" _Yeah, well, next time, you might wanna put on a suit before you go swimming."_ she told him.

" _Next time, we should do that when were both naked...just like the old times."_  he replied.

Alex looked away again.  _"I don't see that happening anytime soon."_  she said.

" _Why is that?"_  he asked.

" _You know why."_  she answered, still not looking at him.

" _Clearly, I don't...so, why don't you tell me."_  he said.

Alex remained silent. Neal observed her. She was looking away, just staring in space, avoiding his gaze. She didn't look like she was deep in thought. She didn't look like she was thinking about anything in particular. She just sat there and looked away. And that was when Neal realized why. It all made sense now, why Neal couldn't put the pieces together earlier. There was only one reason why Alex would make an effort to not look him in the eye.

" _You lied to me."_  Neal said. There was no accusation...no judgment...just a statement.

" _Which lie would that be?"_  Alex asked him.  _"I've lied to you so many times in the past."_  she added.

" _You're not getting married today. You're not getting married at all."_  he answered.

" _You've worked it all out by now, have you?"_  she asked.

" _That's not a denial."_  he replied.

" _It's not an admission either."_  she told him.

" _Why did you lie to me?"_  he pressed.

" _Lying is the most fun a girl could ever have without taking her clothes off."_  Alex smiled.  _"Only it's better if you do."_  she added.

" _So, you DO admit you lied."_  he said.

" _I never denied that I didn't."_  she replied.

And then there was silence again between the two of them. They sat there for a while, as Neal observed her. And for the first time in a long time, he couldn't read her. Finally he spoke.  _"You've changed. Is it this place? Did it change you?"_  he asked.

" _Has it ever occurred to you that maybe...just maybe...this is the first time that you've seen me?"_  she asked back.

" _You're killing me with the cryptic here, Alex!"_  he snapped.

" _You saw Kate as your greatest love...and your greatest heart break. With Sara, you saw a second chance...the best of both worlds."_  she said.  _"You look at me, and you saw nothing more than just a passing fancy."_  she added.

Neal was stunned and didn't know how to react. Alex continued.  _"You wanna know why I lied to you? I lied to you because I wanted you to realize that I matter to you after all...that I do exist. Because I wanted you to see what you've been missing all this time. Because I'm tired of you making me feel like I'm invisible. I wanted you to leave this place racking your brain about what could have been. What might have been. What should have been. Oh, stupid, silly me!"_ she told him.

" _Alex, I didn't know-"_  Neal tried to explain before she interrupted him.

" _Sure, you did."_  Alex said.  _"I practically threw myself at you every chance I_ _had."_ she added.

" _But-"_  Neal tried to speak but she cut him off again.

" _It's alright, Caffrey. It's not your fault. You can't help who you love. I'm not blaming you. It's all over now. It was all over before it started. We never had a chance."_ she said, as she shook her head. _" I've resigned myself to the fact that you will never look at me the way you looked at Kate or Sara. Because, I know that based on the scales in your eyes, I weigh no more than dust, and that my worth to you is just as much as the sand that we're sitting on."_ she stated. There was no pain, no anger in her voice...just honesty.

" _That's not true."_  Neal argued.  _"Alex, I do care about you."_  he told her.

" _Now, who's lying to who?"_  Alex replied. She got up from the ground and brushed the sand off of her. Without another word, she started to walk away.

" _Alex, wait!"_  Neal called her back, but she didn't stop.  _"We need to talk."_  he said.

" _I'm done talking, Caffrey."_  she told him. She turned around to face him.  _"It doesn't matter anymore. You won't be staying here for long. After you get what you need, you'll be on your way. And pretty soon, I'll be nothing but a distant memory. I'm fine with that."_  she said, before she continued walking. She stopped underneath a kelapa tree where a white horse was tied to. It neighed when she unfastened the rope.

" _Yours?"_  Neal asked.

" _A friend of mine gave him to me. His name is Arthur."_  she answered, as she propped herself up on Arthur's back.

" _Arthur...good name for a horse."_  he said. It seemed like a stupid thing to say merely after that stirring conversation they had, but it was better than just talking about the weather. He looked up at her face and stared into her eyes.  _"I miss you, Alex."_  he confessed.

" _That's too bad. Now, you can spend a lifetime doing nothing else except miss me. 'Cause I'm not pining for you anymore, Caffrey."_  Alex replied, before riding away, leaving Neal standing there by himself.

Neal followed her with his eyes, until she disappeared from his sight. He turned around to head back to the beach house. He thought about everything Alex said. Has he really been that insensitive? That clueless? That dumb? It's true that he loved Kate, and that he cared about Sara, but he never meant to take Alex for granted. He had strong feelings for Alex too. He should have told her that.

 _I thought she knew._  Neal said to himself.

Finally, he reached the beach house. He went inside and straight to his room. He was very tired and the bed looked really welcoming. He was starting to show some signs of chafing, so he took his clothes off and pulled off the covers. He was exhausted, both physically, mentally and emotionally. He needed a break from the world. He can deal with everything later, Alex included.

 _Alex._  he thought to himself. He smiled as he remembered her. The morning wasn't such a total waste. He found out Alex wasn't getting married today. His smiled broadened, as he lied down in bed. Moments later, sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

Neal woke up to the persistent ringing of his cellphone. With eyes half-opened, he reached for it from the table by the bedside.

" _Hello?"_  Neal murmured sleepily.

" _Neal? Where are you?"_  It was Mozzie.

" _I'm in my room at the beach house."_  Neal answered. He propped himself up with his elbows as he looked at the clock. It was past 5 in the afternoon. He had slept for ten hours.

" _I'm at Lolana's...it's happy hour! Are you still in bed?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _Yeah."_  Neal answered as he threw the covers off.  _"I just woke up, Moz."_  he told him.

" _Oh, good! You finally slept. Man, Alex must have really wiped you out!"_  Mozzie remarked.

" _You have no idea."_  Neal replied.

" _Hmmm...enlighten me."_  Mozzie said in a playful tone.

" _Get your mind out of the gutter, Moz!"_  Neal told him.

" _Okay, fine. Just hurry up and get here as soon as you can. You're missing out on all the island fun!"_ Mozzie half-scolded him, before hanging up.

Neal got out of bed and proceeded the bathroom to take a shower. He felt refreshed and recharged afterwards. His head seems clearer, his heart, optimistic. He put on some fresh clothes and headed out the door to meet Mozzie, and quite possibly, continue his conversation with Alex.

* * *

Once he got to the Tiki Lounge, the place was already packed. Both tourists and locals alike flocked the establishment, as they ate, drank and danced. Neal weaved through the crowd to find Mozzie by the bar with a drink in his hand, of course. Once he saw Neal, Mozzie waved his hand signaling him to come over.

" _Hey, I want you to try something."_  Mozzie said. He then turned to talk to the bartender.

" _What is it?"_  Neal asked.

" _It's called a 'Bali Moon B-52'. It has 85% dark overproof rum-"_ Mozzie answered, before he was interrupted by the bartender, handing him two flaming shot glasses.

" _You had me at rum."_  Neal told him, as he took the glass and downed it in one gulp.

" _Good to see you in better spirits."_  Mozzie said, as he downed his own drink.

" _Have you seen Alex?"_  Neal asked, struggling to be heard on top of the music.

" _She's around here somewhere."_  Mozzie replied.

All of a sudden a young man , possibly in his late teens, approached them. He was a local, based on his looks and his accent.  _"Friends!"_  the young man said.  _"You wanna buy Rolex? I got Rolex!"_  he offered them, showing him a few of his knock-off pieces.

" _Let me see that!"_  Mozzie answered. He was NOT the one to be fooled by fakes, but he admired the craftsmanship of the forger.  _"This looks good! How much do you want for it?"_  he asked the young entrepreneur. He saw Neal roll his eyes.  _"What? Everyone's entitled to make a living!"_ he said.

Just then, Alex appeared out of nowhere.  _"Get the hell out, Tango!"_  she told the young man.  _"I told you, don't scam the paying customers."_  she added.

" _What scam?"_  Tango asked.  _"This is real Rolex!"_  he lied.

" _Yeah, nice try!"_  Alex said.  _"Get out or I throw you out myself!"_  she told him.

" _You cranky!"_  Tango replied.  _"You need to get laid! Been a while since Colin been here...maybe you need new boyfriend! I can be you new boyfriend if you want!"_  he said.

" _That's it! I'm counting to three...if you're not out of here by then, I'm gonna get the cattle prod!"_  Alex warned him.

" _Okay! I go, I go!"_  Tango told her. He stopped and turned back to her.  _"I was not kidding about being you new boyfriend. Think about it!"_  he said.

" _Yeah, right! I have shirts that are older than you, Tango. Now , SHOO!"_  she said as he chased the teenager away.

" _Who was that kid?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _That's Tango...Lolana One's little brother!"_  Alex replied.

" _I like him! He's a young man with great potential."_  Mozzie said.  _"Hey, where's Lima tonight?"_  he asked again.

" _That's what I'd like to know! Her shift started about an hour ago! I have to leave soon."_  Alex answered.

" _Well, let me know when she gets here. I'll be at the bar."_  Mozzie told her.

Neal leaned close to her and whispered to her ear. _"Where are you going?"_  he asked her.

 _"Away."_  Alex answered.  _"Don't worry. That friend I was telling you about won't get here until a few days from now. I should be back by then."_  she assured him.

 _"I'm not worried about that."_  Neal replied. He leaned closer.  _"So...who's Colin?"_  he pressed.

Alex looked at him for a moment before she replied.  _"My boyfriend."_  she said.

" _Is this a 'real' boyfriend, or a 'pretend' boyfriend?"_  Neal quipped.

" _Yeah, sure. I go around the island showing people my 'fake' boyfriend."_  Alex retorted.

" _Colin who?"_  Neal pressed.

" _It's really none of your business, but his name is Colin Henry!"_ Alex answered, getting irritated.

" _Oh, come on, Alex! You know the rules! You never trust a guy with two first names."_ Neal told him.

" _No...I think you mean never trust a man with two watches."_  Alex said, rolling her eyes. She started to walk away.

Neal went after her and lightly pulled her back to face him.  _"Can we please talk?"_  he asked her.

Alex pulled away from him.  _"Like I said earlier Caffrey, I am DONE talking."_  she told him.

Neal was about to protest, when Lima showed up.  _"I'm here!"_  she announced.

" _About time you showed up. I needed to be out of here like an hour ago!"_ Alex scolded her, slowly moving away from Neal.

Lima observed the both of them.  _"Was I interrupting something?"_ she asked.

" _Actually-"_ Neal was about to answer.

" _No, you weren't."_  Alex beat him to it.  _"Bob's at the bar waiting for you."_  she informed Lima, pointing to Mozzie, who waved at them.  _"You must have made quite the first impression."_  Alex said, as she walked towards the back room.

Moments later, she came out with her bags. She had a traveling hard case on one hand and a duffel bag on the other. She turned to Lima.  _"You got this?"_  she asked her, feeling bad as she was about to leave the place on a busy night.

" _Yeah, I'm good."_  Lima answered.  _"Go!"_  she told her friend.  _"Oh, and say hello to Colin for me."_  she added, catching Neal's attention.

" _Lima, it's work...not a lovers' getaway."_  Alex clarified.

" _That's why God invented the 'Mile High' club, baby girl!"_ Lima replied with a wink.

 _"Okaaay...I'm leaving now!"_  Alex told her friend. She was surprised when Neal took the duffel bag from her hand.  _"I don't need your help."_  she told him.

" _I know."_  Neal answered. He still helped her out the backdoor, where her lift was waiting to take her to the port.

" _I got it, thanks."_  Alex told Neal. He wouldn't budge.  _"Caffrey!"_ she said, very annoyed.

" _We'll talk when you get back."_  Neal finally said, more of a statement than a request.

" _No."_  Alex refused again, as she tried to take her duffel bag from him.  _"Caffrey! Give it to me!"_  she demanded.

Neal raised an eyebrow.  _"Not yet."_  he said playfully.

" _Fine! We'll talk when I get back. There...are you happy?"_  Alex finally relented.

" _Ecstatic!"_ Neal answered mockingly, as he handed her the bag. Alex was about to leave when he called her back.  _"Hey, Alex!"_ he said after her.

Alex turned around to look at him.  _"What now?"_  she asked.

" _The Mile High Club... highly overrated. I wouldn't recommend it. It's rushed, and it lacks connection. It's frustrating and won't live up to the expectations, not to mention it's highly unsanitary. Plus, you need to have a partner with great balance, flexibility and dexterity...otherwise, you wont be able to enjoy it."_  Neal lectured her.

Alex just growled in annoyance, as she got inside the lift and left, leaving Neal standing there, a sly smile on his face.  _"Have a nice time. I'll see you when you get back!"_  he arrogantly shouted to her as she left. Once she was gone, he went back inside the lounge.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER TWO** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *New readers, please be advised that I am a NeAlex fan, and that influences a lot of my writing.
> 
> *There really is a Blue Lagoon Beach in Bali.
> 
> *Always pictured Neal and Mozzie partying on an island like two frat boys on Spring break.
> 
> *"Never trust anyone with two first names." ~ Leona Helmsley
> 
> *"A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure." ~ Lee Segall
> 
> *Everyone knows what the "Mile High Club" is, right? Good, so I don't need to explain what it is then. =D
> 
> *Many thanks to those who urged me to continue this story. If you like this chapter, please feel free to leave kudos and comments.


	3. Rainbows

It was a day later and it was raining outside. There's not really much to do on the island in that kind of weather. So Mozzie and Neal decided to go back to Lolana's, where they were greeted by the cheerful Lima the moment they walked in through the door.

" _You two DO know that there are other places in this island besides this lounge, right?"_  Lima asked them jokingly.

" _Come on, Lima. Don't tell me you're tired of me already?"_  Mozzie replied.

" _No way, Bob!"_  Lima denied, as she leaned in to kiss him on the lips.  _"But you're going to have to pace yourself, or you'll be sick of me in a week."_  she added.  _"Besides, my body could do well with a little recovery time."_  she said with a smile.

" _That GOOD, eh?"_  Mozzie asked, quite proud of his prowess.

" _Don't get cocky!"_  Lima warned him, before kissing him again.

" _Ugh! You two...get a grip, or get a room!"_  Neal told them.

" _Ignore him, Lima."_  Mozzie told her, eyeing Neal.  _"He's just jealous. He has not gotten laid since we got here on the island."_ he added.

" _Oh no, you poor thing!"_  Lima said.  _"Everyone needs to have a torrid love affair when in Bali! Don't worry, Victor...we'll find you someone."_ she added, genuinely feeling sorry for Neal.

" _I don't need you to find me someone!"_ Neal replied.  _"And you DO know that my name really isn't Victor, right?"_  he asked softly.

" _Yes, just like his name..."_  she pointed to Mozzie.  _"...Really isn't 'Bob'." she said. "And Sierra really isn't 'Sierra'. And my name really isn't 'Lima'."_  she added, surprising both Neal and Mozzie.  _"What? You think that you're the_ _only two people who ever came to Bali under an assumed name?"_ she chuckled.  _"Don't worry. We'll save the formalities for later."_  she told them, before walking back to the bar.

Neal followed her.  _"About 'Sierra'..."_  he started to say.

" _No, I haven't talked to her. No, she hasn't called me. And no, I am NOT telling you where she went."_  Lima told him. She turned to face Neal.  _"What's the story between the two of you anyway?"_  she asked, as she brought Mozzie a drink.

" _Ah, theirs is a tale of wasted chances and missed opportunities."_ Mozzie answered for him.

" _You broke her heart."_ Lima deduced.

" _It's a bit more complicated that that...but yes, I did."_ Neal admitted.

" _That is one of the worst kind of pain you can ever inflict a woman."_  Lima sighed. _"I don't know about guys, but to us ladies, having a broken heart is a lot like having broken ribs. On the outside, it seems like nothing's wrong, but it hurts like hell whenever you breath."_ she told them.

" _Yeah, it's pretty much the same for men."_ Neal replied.

" _Then maybe you should leave her be. That's probably why she sought a new life here in Bali. There's something wildly empowering to be able to live your life again without the constant presence of heartache. She has Colin now. She has another shot at happiness. You shouldn't get in the way of that. You're just a painful reminder of the past she left behind. So do her a favor and just leave her be."_  she lectured Neal.

" _I don't think I can. And even if I can, I don't think I want to."_  Neal admitted to her.

" _Oh...you're one of those guys."_ Lima implied.

" _What do you mean?"_  Neal asked her.

" _You know...those type of guys who thinks that the fruit is tastier when it's 'forbidden'."_  Lima replied.

" _That's not true!"_  Neal denied.  _"I happen to like how her fruit tastes! Forbidden or NOT!"_  he admitted.  _"Oh, God! I did NOT just say that out loud."_ he said, running a hand through his face.

" _I'm afraid you did."_  Lima told him.

" _It's quite alright, my friend. We're all adults here."_ Mozzie told him.

" _Apparently not."_  Neal replied. He signaled over to the tables not too far away from them.

Mozzie followed his gaze. There were two little kids, a boy and a girl. The boy was refilling salt and pepper shakers and other condiments on each table, while the little girl was arranging flowers on the vases and folding table napkins. They looked adorable, but you could tell that they took their jobs very seriously.

" _Obviously, this place has not heard of child labor laws."_  Mozzie remarked.

" _Oh, hush. They're not slaves!"_  Lima told him.  _"They're kids from the Children's Village not far from here."_ she informed them.

" _Children's Village?"_  Mozzie inquired.

" _Yes. It used to be a social welfare program established by the local government to provide shelter and care for disadvantaged kids. That is, until they had to cut the budget. Now, it's being run by one of the locals named Lastri, she's our resident Good Samaritan. Actually, the only thing that keeps it running are the_ _supporters and volunteers who generously donate their resources to the program."_  Lima explained further.

" _What are they doing here?"_  Neal asked curiously about the children.

" _Oh, they come here to help every once in a while. They do it out of gratitude, not servitude."_  Lima clarified.  _"They're just thankful for everything Sierra has done for them. They love her, and she loves them."_ she added.

" _Gratitude?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _Yes. Sierra has been one of the Children's Village most generous benefactors. Every time she comes back from one of her trips, she always brings something for them. Like last time, she brought them a water purifier. The time before that, she got them a generator."_ Lima informed them, as she called the two children to come closer.

The kids walked over to where they were. They looked like they were about the same age...seven years old, maybe younger. Up close, the little boy had short hair, brown eyes and a very charming smile. The little girl had long, dark, curly hair and cute dimples, but her smile never reached her eyes. There was a sadness in her that tugged at Mozzie's heart.

" _This is Merpati."_  Lima introduced the little girl.  _"That one over there is Kersen."_  she said.

" _Merpati. What a lovely name."_  Mozzie said.

" _It means 'dove'."_  The little girl replied softly.

" _I had a dove once. They are beautiful and intelligent creatures."_  Mozzie told her.

" _Are you friends of Miss Storm too?"_ Kersen asked them.

" _Yes, we are."_  Neal answered.

" _She's a very kind person. She has been generous to us. We always pray for her_ _safe return."_ Kersen told them.

" _Your English are both very good."_  Mozzie commented.

" _Thank you. Miss Sierra teaches us."_ Merpati replied.  _"She also reads to us a lot when comes by the Children's Village after she comes back from her adventures."_  she added.

Neal though of Alex again. If anyone ever told him before that Alex Hunter was a big philanthrophist, he never would have believed it. Neal shook his head and turned away in shame. Alex was right. He looked at her, but he never really saw her for who she is. He was slowly discovering the true person behind the facade, peeling away the layers...and what he saw made him long for her even more.

" _Tell you what..."_  Mozzie said, interrupting Neal's thoughts. "... _How about Mr. Victor and I go over there with you two at the Children's Village. Since Miss Sierra is away, we can be your substitute teachers for the moment."_  Mozzie suggested. The two kids smiled with delight as they took Mozzie and Neal's hands, and led them to the Children's Village.

* * *

The next couple of days, Neal and Mozzie spent helping over at the Children's Village. They place was a very old building, painted in a horrid shade of lime green. It was in poor condition, almost unsafe if you look at it closely. It was clear that the children's necessities were more of a priority than the maintenance of the place. They met Lastri, the local woman who ran the place. She had nothing but nice words to say about 'Sierra', and was very glad that she had friends that were just as kind.

Neal and Mozzie took turns in reading to the children. They soon found out that most of the children were interested in arts and craft. Neal decided to teach them the basics of drawing. Kersen was his best student, showing great potential at a very young age. He was a natural artist, his methods of sketching and shading were more advanced than the rest of the kids.

Mozzie , on the other hand, amused the children in another way. He entertained them with his magic acts that left them in awe. They were delighted to watch him juggle fruit, pull a rabbit out of a hat and do card tricks. Merpati was his biggest fan. The little girl clapped and cheered at Mozzie's every performance. Mozzie was glad to make the little girl laugh. He was more than happy to see ALL the children enjoy themselves, because he knew from first hand experience how sad it was to live in a place like that.

The kids were very grateful to both of them, but you could tell that they missed Alex. Neal couldn't blame them...he misses Alex himself. Neal longed to see her again. She comes back tomorrow...she said so on the night that she left. Neal smiled when he remembered their deal. They were going to talk again when she gets back from her trip. And Neal couldn't wait for that.

* * *

The next day, Mozzie and Neal headed out to go to Lolana's. It was still raining, but very slightly. Mozzie grumbled softly as they walked. None of them really wanted to get out of bed, to be honest, but today was the day they were supposed to meet Alex's friend regarding 'liquidating' some of their assets. It was also the day that Alex comes back to town. The past few days have been long and lonely without her, and Neal couldn't wait to see her face again.

" _The way I see it, we should start with the small pieces."_  Mozzie said to Neal.

" _What?"_  Neal asked, lost in his own thoughts.

" _Pay attention, will you! We are planning our future here."_ Mozzie scolded him.  _"I say, we should move the tiny trinkets first. You know, avoid raising flags. Besides, we don't know if we can trust this guy Alex is recommending."_  he continued.

" _Alex seems to trust him. That's good enough for me."_  Neal replied.

" _We'll see once we meet him."_  Mozzie said.  _"Back to the plan...we should sell_ _the diadems first."_  he suggested.

" _Why?"_ Neal asked.

" _Because they're the smallest pieces of high value...and I don't think we have that much use for tiaras."_  Mozzie answered.

" _I don't know, Moz. Are you sure you don't have a secret habit of wearing tiaras that I don't know about?"_  Neal joked.

" _Can you please be serious about this?"_ Mozzie chastised him.

" _Fine. Do what you want Mozzie."_  Neal told him.

" _Alright. We're in agreement then. We're selling Helen of Troy's golden diadem, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna's pearl and diamond tiara, and Empress Marie-Louise's emerald and diamond headdress. That should fetch us, at the very least, less than a three quarters of a million. Not a lot, but it should get us out of this_ _island and on to our next destination."_  Mozzie informed him.

" _Whatever, Mozzie."_  Neal just dismissed him and continued to walk towards the Tiki Lounge.

" _You could at least be a little more enthusiastic. I mean, we are talking about funding our life away from here."_  Mozzie said, following him closely behind.

" _Look, Moz...just do what you think is necessary. I don't need to know the details. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and find Alex."_  Neal told him, before entering Lolana's.

Inside the lounge, it was almost empty. There was no morning crowd. The gloomy weather not helping to draw the usual patrons in. Besides, it was usually busier from the afternoon up to late at night. Mozzie found his usual place by the bar, while Neal asked one of the barbacks if he'd seen Alex. He directed Neal towards the back room.

* * *

Inside the backroom, Alex tried to fix herself up and make herself look more presentable...cover up some of the mistakes made in the past few days. She winced in pain as she took off her denim jacket. She was wearing a white tank top underneath, and from it you could see a big mass of black and blue, with a few shades of purple, ugly bruises that started from her shoulder and went all the way down to her back. She looked at it in the mirror and cringed.

Alex jumped when she heard Neal's voice from behind her. _"What the hell happened to you?"_  he asked, you could hear the anger in his voice.

" _I'm fine!"_  she answered.

Neal moved closer towards her. He run his hand gently on her bruise, as she winced at his touch.  _"You don't look fine."_  Neal said, softer this time.  _"Jesus, Alex! Who did this to you?"_  he asked, his voice more concerned now.

" _Nobody."_ Alex denied.  _"Like I said, I'm fine. End of discussion."_  she told him, as she proceeded to leave the backroom, Neal following her closely.

" _Oh, hey Alex!"_ Mozzie greeted him from the bar.

" _Hey, Moz."_  she greeted him unenthusiastically.

" _You okay?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _No, she isn't."_  Neal answered for her.  _"Look at her back."_  he said.

Mozzie saw the big mass of bruises, and the expression on his face mirrored the one Neal had earlier. Say what you want about him, but Mozzie can NOT stand any of his friends getting hurt. _"Who did this to you?"_ he asked her in a low voice.

" _Like I already told Caffrey...NOBODY. It was an accident, alright?"_  She assured Mozzie.

" _What kind of accident?"_  Mozzie pressed.

" _I'd rather not get into that at the moment. If you'll excuse me, I have other things I need to handle."_ Alex replied before walking away.

Neal caught up with her.  _"Alex, you can't blame us for worrying about you."_  he said.

" _You know what Neal? I get it. You feel guilty for not being there for me for all these years. So now, you want to defend me at the drop of a hat! But I'm telling you right now, I don't need you to protect me. I am very well capable of taking care of myself."_ she told him before storming off.

Not long after that, a middle-aged man came in from the rain. He was tall and fit for a guy his age. He sported a little scruff on his face, and wore drawstring linen pants, a pair of sandals, a straw hat and a brightly colored tropical shirt. He sat down by the bar, several stools away from Mozzie, and looked around for the bartender.

" _Geez! Who do I have to kill to get a beer around here?"_  the man muttered.

Mozzie didn't pay much attention to the man, while Neal sat down next to his friend. Moments later, Alex came back to the bar, ignoring both Neal and Mozzie.

" _What the hell happened to you?"_ the stranger from the bar asked Alex, noticing the bruises on her back.

" _Seems to be the question of the day."_  Neal chimed in.

" _I'm okay."_  Alex assured the man, her tone softer than the one she used on Neal earlier.

" _You sure?"_ the man asked again.

" _It looks worse than it feels."_  Alex told him.

" _It looks like hell!"_  the man remarked.

" _Well...then, it looks exactly like it feels."_ Alex said jokingly.  _"Really, I'm fine."_  she reassured the man.  _"Now what, can I get you, Charlie?"_  she asked him.

" _The usual."_  Charlie replied.  _"You should really be more careful, Firecracker! You're line of work isn't exactly safe-"_  he said before Alex interrupted him.

" _I swear to God, Charlie...if that sentence ends with the words 'especially for a WOMAN', I am going to punch you in the mouth!"_ Alex warned him.  _"Well, not too hard to knock any of your teeth out, since we're friends and all...but it will be hard enough to make you bleed."_  she smiled mischievously.  _"Here ya go. Enjoy!"_ she said, as she handed him his beer and gave him a quick peck on the forehead.

Neal and Mozzie both raised an eyebrow when they saw the exchange between the two. They were immediately curious to know who the old man was and why he seemed to be close to Alex. Moments passed by, and Alex walked over to where they were.

" _That's the guy I was telling you about."_ Alex informed them.  _"The man that can help you with your 'situation'."_  she added.

" _You trust this guy?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _With my life."_  Alex answered without batting an eyelash.  _"And he trusts me with his. Don't expect the same loyalty though."_  she told them.

" _Who is he?"_  Neal asked her.

" _His name is Charlie Knight."_  Alex replied. She turned to Mozzie.  _"You'd love him. He's a history buff, with an appreciation for beauty, a great love of art...and he drinks like it's the day before Prohibition. He's like you, only older, taller, wiser and with a lot more hair."_ she chuckled. She looked at both Neal and Mozzie.  _"I'd leave you two to introduce yourselves."_  she told them, before walking away.

Neal and Mozzie walked over to where Charlie was sitting. They sat down next to him, without any invitation, Neal to his left and Mozzie to his right. Charlie looked at the both of them, before drinking his beer.

" _Something I can do for you boys?"_  Charlie asked them.

" _You know Sierra?"_  Mozzie asked him.

" _You mean, Firecracker? Hell yeah, she and I go waaay back."_  Charlie replied.  _"You two know her?"_  he asked them.

" _Yeah...we're old friends of hers from back home."_  Neal answered.

Charlie looked at him, and then at Mozzie.  _"You don't say."_  he replied flatly, as he took another sip of his beer.  _"She's a very special lady, that_ _one."_  he added.

Alex reappeared all of a sudden.  _"You boys talking about me?"_  she asked them.

" _I was just telling these two about the first time time I saw you naked. Good Lord! You were so beautiful...I wanted to take you home right then and there!"_ Charlie quipped.

Alex laughed.  _"Yeah, but you were married, Charlie! And I was a BABY...it never would have worked out."_  she said playfully.  _"Stop talking about me."_  she told them before walking away again.

" _You knew her when she was a child?"_  Neal asked him

" _Yep. I knew her...I knew her parents...I knew her grandparents."_  Charlie replied  _"Like I said...she and I go way back."_ he added.  _"Now, what can I do for you boys?"_  he asked them.

" _We need your help to 'move' things."_  Mozzie replied.

" _Do I look like I can do heavy lifting at my age?"_  Charlie said sarcastically.

" _You know what we mean."_  Mozzie said.  _"Normally, Alex would do it for us, but she already turned us down."_  he added.

Charlie raised his eyebrow at the mention of Alex. Not a lot of people on the island knew her by that name.  _"Yep...you know these recovering grifters...biggest addicts of them all. Any sign of temptation and they're scared they might fall off the wagon. She's just trying to keep her nose clean."_ he told Mozzie.

" _Alex is out of the business?"_  It was Neal's turn to ask.

" _Yeah. Last job she did was to fulfill her grandfather's dying wish. She's been out of the game ever since."_ Charlie replied.  _"Why are you so interested in her, Blue_ _Eyes?"_ he asked Neal.

" _We're just making conversation."_ It was Mozzie who answered.

" _I don't like it when people get too inquisitive."_ Charlie warned them.

" _Alex trusts us."_  Neal told him.

" _Hah! I doubt it! I can count with one hand the number of people that girl trusts in this world other than her parents."_ Charlie said.  _"Which would be her grandpa Michael, her grandma Sadie, our good friend Hale, the other one is ME, and last but not the least...HERSELF. Count it...one, two, three, four, five. Five people she trusts other than her mom and dad. None of them are the two of you."_  he snapped at them.

" _You knew Hale?"_  Mozzie inquired.  _"We're good friends with Hale as well."_  he told Charlie.

Charlie remained silent for a while, a lump caught in his throat. When he found his voice again, he continued.  _"Then you should know that he's dead. He was murdered during a job he did as a favor for a couple of friends. Boy, when I find my hands on those sons of bitches who got him killed..."_  he let his voice trail off.

There was silence for a while. It was Neal who spoke first.  _"WE are the sons of bitches who got Hale killed."_ he confessed, earning a glare from Mozzie.

" _But it was totally out of our hands!"_  Mozzie added.

Charlie then abruptly stood up from his seat and was about to walk out, if it weren't for Alex getting in his way. She caught him just in time before he headed out the door. She saw the scowl on his usually friendly face.

" _Hey, what's going on?"_  Alex asked Charlie, her hand pressed to his chest.

" _I can't be here. I can't work with those two!"_ Charlie told her.  _"You knew_ _about them and Hale. Why didn't you tell me?"_  he asked her.

" _Because I know how you'd react."_  Alex replied.

" _Are those two who I think they are?"_  Charlie asked again.

" _Yes."_  Alex answered.

" _And Blue Eyes, he's..."_  Charlie let his voice trail off.

" _Yes."_  Alex replied again.

" _Aw, hell, Firecracker!"_  Charlie exclaimed.  _"You trust these two?"_  he asked.

" _Not as far as I can throw 'em."_  Alex answered.

" _Then why are you doing this?"_  he asked her.

" _Because HE is a huge part of my past that I want to forget, Charlie."_  Alex admitted.  _"And the sooner you help them, the sooner they can be on their way out of the island, and out of my life."_  she added.

" _You trying to convince me, or yourself?"_ Charlie pressed. Alex remained silent.  _"Fine! If it's really that important to you, Firecracker..."_  he said.

" _So, you'll do it?"_  Alex asked.

" _Of course, I'll do it! Like I could ever say no to those beautiful, big brown eyes!"_  Charlie confessed.

Alex gave him a quick hug, and they both walked back to the bar, where Neal and Mozzie were waiting patiently.

" _Hey, Joliet, Elwood...listen up!"_  Charlie spoke up.

" _Actually, it's Victor and Bob."_  Mozzie interrupted him.

" _I don't give a shit."_  Charlie told him.  _"I will help you with your little problem, but my assistance does NOT come cheap."_  he told Neal and Mozzie.  _"Twenty-three percent...that's my cut."_ he revealed.

" _Wait...what?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _You heard me."_  Charlie replied.

Neal and Mozzie looked to Alex for more support. She just threw her hands up.  _"Hey, I've done all I can to help. The rest is up to you."_  she told them before she walked away.

" _That's a little high! How about-"_  Mozzie tried to reason with him.

" _Twenty-three percent."_  Charlie cut him off.  _"Take it or leave it. It's my first and final offer. It's not up for renegotiation."_  he concluded.

" _Why twenty-three percent?"_  Neal asked curiously.

" _I like Michael Jordan."_  Charlie replied flatly.  _"Look...it's a not nearly enough considering Firecracker had to pull me out of my vacation in the French Riviera in order to help you two."_ he told them.

" _You live on a beach island resort. There's plenty of sand and water outside. You can continue you're vacation there."_  Mozzie pointed out.

" _It's raining outside in case you haven't noticed."_  Charlie replied.

" _They have rain in the French Riviera."_  Neal said.

" _They speak French in the French Riviera."_  Charlie pointed out.

" _We could speak to you in French."_  Mozzie suggested.

" _You have bumps in the wrong places, buddy."_  Charlie replied.  _"You two_ _cut my vacation short. Now you must pay. Twenty-three percent."_  Charlie reiterated.

Neal and Mozzie deliberated in a whispered discussion. Finally, Mozzie spoke up.  _"We've considered your offer carefully, and decided that we'll take it."_  he informed Charlie.

" _Good. Now, buy me a drink and we'll talk about the specifics."_  Charlie told them.

Neal saw Alex out of the corner of his eye. She was on her way out, trying to sneak away unnoticed.  _"I'll leave the two of you to discuss the specifics."_ he excused himself and left the bar.

* * *

Neal followed Alex outside and found her under one of he sheds, gazing upon the horizon. _"It's still raining."_  Neal said, breaking into her thoughts.  _"It hasn't stopped since that night you left. Well, at least it's just a little drizzle now."_  he continued.

" _It's like what my grandma used to say...If you want rainbows, you have to learn to quit your whining and just put up with the rain."_  Alex told him.

She turned around and walked towards the side of the lounge. There were a few boxes in there and Alex proceeded to pick one up. Neal noticed that she winced a little, so he decided to help.

" _Here, let me get that for you."_  Neal offered.

" _It's alright. I got it."_ Alex said.

Neal insisted, and grabbed the other boxes from her.  _"You take half, I'll take half."_ he negotiated.

" _Fine."_  Alex relented, before she proceeded to walk away, the rain beginning to drench her. She turned around and saw that Neal wasn't moving.  _"Well, let's get a move on."_ she urged him.

" _It's raining."_  Neal pointed out.

" _Yeah, well...I've been through so much shit in my life, a little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now."_  she told him.  _"Come on...quit being a big baby."_  she said.

Neal smiled and followed her.  _"This is nice. Now we can talk."_  he told her. Alex remained silent.  _"You promised me we'd talk when you get back."_  he reminded her.

" _Whatever."_ Alex replied, as she continued walking.

" _Are we going to the Children's Village?"_  Neal inquired. Alex looked at him with surprise.  _"It's okay. We know."_  he told her.

" _Lima's been blabbing."_  Alex said.

" _She happens to like me and Mozzie."_ Neal told her.

" _She obviously needs to have her head examined."_  Alex replied.

" _She has nothing but good things to say about you. As a matter of fact, this whole island seems to have a lot of respect for you...especially Lastri and those kids from the Children's Village."_ Neal told her.

" _Try not to faint from the shock, Caffrey."_  she retorted.

" _So, what's in these boxes?"_ Neal inquired.

" _This one has a couple of nebulizers, for a few of the kids who have asthma."_  Alex revealed.  _"That ones you're carrying are for the kid's wishlists...shoes, clothes, art supplies, candies. You know, just to reward them for being good."_ she continued.

" _You're like their own private Santa Claus."_  Neal chuckled.

" _I do what I can to help."_  Alex replied, as she winced again from the pain in her back.

Neal wanted to help her with the boxes she was carrying, but decided against it, knowing how headstrong Alex can be. He just continued to observe her.  _"Be honest. Did Colin do this to you"_  he asked her.

" _Colin? God, no! Colin couldn't swat a fly if he needed to."_  Alex denied.

" _What happened to you then?"_ he pressed.

" _Like I said, it was a work related accident. Occupational hazard."_  she answered.

" _What exactly do you do for a living nowadays, Alex?"_  he questioned her.

" _That's another story for another time, Caffrey."_  she answered mysteriously.

Neal decided to let that subject drop.  _"So...Colin's a good guy then?"_  he changed the topic.

" _Yes, he is."_  Alex answered.  _"He's not perfect."_  she added.

" _Are you in love with him?"_  Neal asked.

" _I go through the motions of being in love whenever I'm with him."_ she replied with honesty.

" _That's not the same thing."_  Neal pointed out.

" _It's what works for us. It's what works for me. I see him, I get excited. I miss him when he goes away. Lather. Rinse. Repeat."_  Alex confessed.

" _You deserve more. You deserve better."_ Neal told her.

" _Yeah, well...that's all I'm allowed to have at the moment."_  Alex replied. She paused in front of the rundown building of the Children's Village.  _"We're here. Thanks for the help."_  she told Neal and quickly dismissed him, and went inside the building. Neal followed closely behind her.

There were a few loud squeals, and then they were greeted by a group of kids moments later. Alex was surprised that the children knew Neal as well. Neal just smiled at her. Alex ignored him and just paid attention to the children.

The kids were overjoyed to have Alex back. They thanked her for the gifts. No one was more grateful than Lastri, who was very appreciative of all the supplies Alex brought. Neal and Alex watched as the children opened their presents, and were delighted to see the joy in their eyes. Afterwards, Neal and Alex took turns in teaching arts and crafts to the kids. Neal gave them more drawing lessons, while Alex taught them the art of origami.

Neal observed Alex, as she was now reading a story to the children. He smiled when he saw all of them paying strict attention to her every word. Then he noticed a scene from outside the window. The rain had finally stopped. He gazed upon the horizon, and something else captured his attention. It was a rainbow that formed in the clouds, and it was a thing of beauty. His smile grew wider when he recalled what Alex said earlier.

 _This rainbow was most definitely worth all the rain._  Neal thought, as he focused his attention back on Alex.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER THREE** ~

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *For my new readers, please be advised that I can't write chapters to save my life. So, if this chapter seems a lot longer than the others, that's the reason.
> 
> *For those who asked...Yes Peter will be in this story...LATER.
> 
> *In my head, Charlie Knight is the opposite of Hale. Hale was a gentleman...I imagine Charlie to be more of a rogue. I wrote him with the voice of Sam Axe inside my head.
> 
> *Alex may or mat not have a secret...it may or may not involve Neal...Charlie may or may not know about it. Stay tuned.
> 
> *Thanks for reading this chapter. If you liked it please feel free to leave kudos and comments.


	4. Memories

Mozzie found Neal by the shore looking at a distance. He appeared to be deep in thought. Mozzie came up from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Neal looked up and noticed his friend and a traveler bag.

" _Where are you going?"_  Neal asked.

" _Have you forgotten? I'm supposed to pick up the 'merchandize' so we can give it to Charlie in order for him to 'liquidate' it."_ Mozzie remined him.

" _That's today?"_  Neal asked again.

" _Yes. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can leave."_ Mozzie replied. He noticed the frown on Neal's face when he heard what he just said.  _"What's wrong?"_  Mozzie asked him.

" _Nothing."_  Neal replied flatly. He got up from the sand and started walking alongside his friend towards the Tiki Lounge.

There was silence between them for a while, until Mozzie spoke.  _"Have you asked her yet?"_  Mozzie inquired.

" _Asked who what?"_  Neal said.

" _Have you asked Alex if she wants to run away with us?"_  Mozzie repeated.

Neal looked at him and shook his head.  _"No, Moz, I haven't."_  he sighed.

" _Why not?"_  Mozzie pressed.

" _Because she has a boyfriend."_  Neal answered.

" _A boyfriend? Huh...what a predicament!"_  Mozzie said.

" _Yes...Colin Henry, that's his name. Two first names...I don't trust him."_  Neal told him.

" _You don't trust anyone. Except the Suit, which is why we're here. He told you to run, and you did."_  Mozzie pointed out.  _"Anyway, I have no first or last name, so what does that say about me?"_  he asked.

" _Look, the point is, I can't asked Alex to run away with me if she's involved with some other guy."_  Neal replied.

" _But you want to ask her? See, I was right."_  Mozzie grinned.  _"If memory serves me correctly, 'unavailable' is your favorite flavor."_  he reminded Neal, recalling how Neal fell for Kate when she was still with Michael.  _"That's never stopped you before. So forget about the boyfriend and just ask her. Clock's ticking."_  he added. He saw the hesitation on Neal's face.  _"The worst that could happen is that she says 'no'."_  he stated.

" _Yeah...that's what I'm afraid of."_  Neal muttered under his breath, as they entered Lolana's.

Inside the warung, they saw Charlie at a table by the bar. The two headed over to [join](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/4/Almost_Paradise) him.

" _Hey there, my friend."_  Charlie greeted Mozzie. He turned to Neal.  _"Blue Eyes."_  he acknowledged him briefly and then turned his attention back to Mozzie.  _"All packed and ready to leave, I see."_  he said.

" _Yes. My flight leaves in a few hours. I'm just killing some time before I head to the airport."_  Mozzie replied. Charlie nodded and then quietly went back to drinking his beer.

Neal noticed Charlie's aloofness. He doesn't know why, but the older man does not seem to like him.  _"How goes it, Charlie?"_  Neal greeted him, as he sat down to the chair in front of him.

" _Same old shit, different day."_  Charlie replied icily, without looking at him.

" _Tell me something, Charlie...what is it that you have against me?"_  Neal asked.

" _How much time do you have?_ " Charlie retorted.

" _Now, now, let's keep this friendly."_  Mozzie interjected, as he picked up a magazine and began to flip through it.

" _Let' start with the way you look at Alex...I don't like it. I know who you are...I know you're history with her. I know more about her than you do. She deserves so much more in her life, and that doesn't include you."_  Charlie told Neal.

" _Don't worry, Charlie. You help us get what we need, we give you your cut, then we'll be out of here in no time. Simple as that. You're happy. We're happy. Everybody's happy."_ Neal replied.

" _Such big talk coming from you. Tell me something...what do you know about happiness, Blue Eyes? Because for someone who has billions of dollars worth of treasure, I don't see that much happiness in you."_  Charlie told him. He noticed Neal trade glances with Mozzie.  _"What? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you two kept at least half of that u-boat treasure."_ he said.  _"I take it, Alex doesn't know that you're still keeping the treasure from her?"_  he asked.

" _No, she doesn't."_  Neal admitted.

" _Don't worry. I'm not gonna tell her. I won't tell anyone."_  Charlie swore.  _"Just do as you promised and leave this place as soon as you get your money."_ he told him.

" _You're really in that much of a hurry to get rid of us, huh?"_ Neal asked.

" _No, I happen to like the little guy."_  Charlie said, pointing to Mozzie.  _"It's you I can't stand."_  he added.  _"But the longer that the two of you stay here, the longer Alex has to put up with the baggage from her past."_ he said.  _"Look, I've seen her chase that treasure most of her adult life. Her obsession with that almost destroyed her. She has lost a lot of important things in life in pursuit of that_ _treasure...things she can never get back. She's free from it now. I want it to stay that way."_ he tried to explain.

" _Things like what?"_  Neal pried.

" _None of your business, Blue Eyes."_  Charlie replied impolitely.  _"But I'm telling you now, that treasure has a curse attached to it. Some people find that ridiculous, but they soon learn their lesson the hard way."_  he continued.

" _Believe me, we know."_  Neal said, being reminded of Elizabeth's ordeal with Keller.

" _Whatever. I won't tell you how to live your lives. Just don't drag Alex back into her old one. And don't you even dare ask her to come with you. See, I'm a firm believer that everybody get's their comeuppance...I don't want Alex anywhere near you when you get yours."_  Charlie warned him.

" _Don't worry, I won't. I respect the fact that she's with someone else. I won't get_ _in the way of that."_  Neal reassured him.

" _Colin Henry."_  Mozzie said.

" _Yes, Moz. I know who her boyfriend is. But thank you for reminding me. Your perfect recall really does come in handy sometimes."_  Neal retorted.

" _No, Colin Henry."_ Mozzie repeated, pointing to the article on the magazine he was reading.  _"As it turns out, he's a photojournalist from Reuters. There's an article here that has a five page spread of his photographs from his recent adventures."_  he told Neal, as he showed him the article.

" _Seen here are the photos taken by Colin Henry, as he embarked in an adventure along the coast of Cyprus in search of the wreck of the ancient Greek merchant ship, Kyrenia."_  Neal read out loud.

" _It says here that Colin was in a diving expedition earlier this week that led to the discovery of the site of the 4_ _th_ _century BC cargo ship's wreckage, which was_ _believed to have been plundered by pirates when it sank. About 75% of the ship_ _was found to be in good condition and well-preserved under the sand mud at the bottom of the ocean. They recovered ancient objects that the ship carried during her last voyage about 2300 years ago still intact. Tools such as millstones and bronze cauldrons, and a cargo of wine, olive oil and perfume inside sealed_ _amphorae. They also found tyrrhenian vases, antique jewelry, and archaic loutrophoros amongst wreckage. These object are to be carbon dated and authenticated before it is displayed at the National Museum."_  Mozzie continued to read.

" _Let me see that."_  Charlie said, as he took the magazine from them and read the article.  _"Will you look at that. This article just makes it sound like he discovered the damn thing! Hardly even mentioned Tharos."_  he complained.

" _What's a tharos?"_ Neal asked.

" _Tharos is a guild of multinational archaeologists, researchers, tech experts, and divers who specialize in deep sea acquisitions."_  Charlie explained.  _"Alex is one_ _of them."_ he added.

" _Our Alex is a deep sea archaeologist? Like Lara Croft under the sea! So, that was where she went last time after she left here."_  Mozzie assumed.

" _Oh, so much you don't know."_  Charlie remarked.  _"See, Alex kinda inherited that from her parents. Her mother was the one who formed Tharos decades ago."_  he told Mozzie. _"Natalia...she was one hell of a woman. As big of a firecracker as Alex is now! "_ he sighed as recalled the fond memory.

" _You loved her."_  Neal realized, when he heard the enamored tone in Charlie's voice when he spoke of Alex's mother.

" _Everyone loved her."_  Charlie answered.  _"It didn't matter though...she only had eyes for Leopold."_  he added.

" _Alex's father?"_  Mozzie guessed.

Charlie nodded.  _"And my best friend."_  he added.  _"They led Tharos together. Leopold was the brainbox archaeologist. Natalia was the lion-hearted deep sea diver. They were amazing together."_ he told them, while staring at a distance, as if caught in a powerful memory.  _"Truth is, I loved them both. Hell, I was even their best person at their wedding. Served both as best man and maid of honor."_  he bragged.  _"And they made me Alex's godfather the day she was born. So you can understand my great concern for her."_  he added, looking at Neal.

Neal nodded in understanding.  _"What happened to Alex's parents?"_  he inquired.

" _They died from injuries suffered in an underwater accident during a salvage expedition to recover the USAT Liberty. They died together. Alex was eight years old at the time."_ Charlie answered.  _"It happened in Tulamben, past Lombok, about a few hours north-east from here. Which is why Alex is emotionally attached to this place."_ he added.

" _USAT Liberty? What were Alex's parents doing in a recovery mission of a US_ _Army Transport from World War II?"_  Neal asked.

" _That's another story for another time, Blue Eyes."_  Charlie answered mysteriously.

Just then, they were interrupted when Lima walked to their table and stood next to Mozzie.  _"Are you ready?_ " she asked him with a smile.

" _Yes, I am."_  Mozzie replied. He looked at both Neal and Charlie.  _"Lima is accompanying me to the airport. I should be back in a couple of days or so. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."_  he told them. He turned to Charlie.  _"Thank you for the stimulating conversation."_  he said to the older man. He turned to Neal.  _"Don't forget...I have a sculpture class at the Children's Village later. You're my substitute teacher. I'm trusting you not to disappoint the kids!"_ he reminded him.

" _Don't worry, I will keep them educated till you get back."_  Neal assured him.

With that, Mozzie left with Lima. Moments later, Charlie took his leave as well. Not long after that, Neal headed to the Children's Village for his sculpture class.

* * *

With Mozzie gone, and nothing else to keep him occupied, Neal grew bored of the island life the next day. Neal resigned himself to the idea that there really are no further options for him to do. With no other place in mind, he headed to Lolana's.

Lima turned her gaze to the door as soon as it opened. Her face lit up for a brief second, but was quickly letdown when she saw Neal enter. Neal walked over to the table and noticed her disappointment.

" _You were expecting someone else?"_  Neal asked, talking about Mozzie.

" _That obvious, huh?"_  Lima replied.  _"So, I miss him okay? I know it's only been a day, but I miss him already. I really hope he comes back soon."_  she admitted.

" _Oh no...don't tell me you're in love with him already! Was it love at first sight?"_  Neal teased her.

" _More like lust at first sight."_  Lima answered. She saw Neal cringed.  _"Don't be like that! I happen to like him...a LOT!"_  she said.  _"You see, I've been with guys like YOU in the past. Pretty boys who can charm a woman's pants off with a smile and a wink, and then leave them crying after they get what they want..."_ she saw the look in Neal's eyes. _"No offense."_  she told him.

" _None taken."_ Neal said flatly.

" _Anyway...your friend, he's not like that. You have no idea how hard it is these days for a woman to actually find a man who would bend over backwards, and do everything no matter how ridiculous it is, just to make a woman smile."_  Lima explained.  _"That, to me, is a good man."_  she added.

" _So you ARE falling for him, then?"_  Neal asked.  _"You do understand, we won't be staying here long, right?"_  he asked again.

" _I know."_  Lima replied.  _"That doesn't mean I can't have him for as long as he's here."_  she added. She changed the subject.  _"So what about you, Blue? Do you_ _have a girlfriend back home?"_  she asked.

" _Not anymore."_ Neal replied, seemingly uncomfortable with the question.

" _You ever been in love?"_  Lima pressed.

" _Yes, I have."_ Neal answered, his discomfort increasing.

" _Ohhh...past tense. OUCH!"_  Lima said.  _"How did it end?"_  she asked again.

" _Tragically."_  Neal replied softly.

" _Double OUCH."_  Lima said.  _"What did you learn from it?"_  she inquired.

" _That life is a series of fleeting moments. Wounded hearts will heal, and you can_ _learn from past mistakes and move on. And if you're lucky enough to find happiness more than once, you shouldn't let it pass you by."_ Neal told her.

Just then, they both saw Alex come out of the back room and went behind the bar. Neal immediately couldn't take his eyes off her. Lima noticed this.  _"Well, don't let me keep you."_  she told him.

Neal smiled at her and hurried over to where Alex was. He hesitated at first, remembering his promise to Charlie. But Neal couldn't help it. There had always been some unknown force that drew him to Alex. Finally, he had made his decision.

" _Hey."_  Neal greeted Alex.

" _Hey."_  Alex greeted back, briefly looking at him.

" _I have nothing to do."_  Neal told her.

" _Okay."_  Alex replied.

" _No, seriously. It's been very dull since Mozzie left."_  Neal reiterated.

" _You always have to do everything with Mozzie?"_  she asked.

" _Not everything."_  Neal replied.  _"Do something with me."_  he told her, after a brief pause.

Alex raised an eyebrow.  _"I'm busy."_  she told him.

" _No, you're not."_  Neal replied.  _"Come on, Alex!"_  he urged her in a mock whiny voice, like a child talking to a playmate.  _"I'm bored...come play with me."_ he said mischievously.

" _You're bored?"_  Alex asked incredulously.  _"You've been a New Yorker way too long. Here you are in paradise...the apex of tropical living...bombarded with beauty, beaches and culture...and all you can think about is how bored you are!"_  she said.  _"Try snorkeling."_  she recommended.

" _That is so pedestrian."_  Neal answered.  _"How about you take me scuba diving instead?"_ he suggested, with a knowing smile.

" _No, I don't think so...not today."_  Alex refused.  _"There must be something out there you wanna try."_  she finally relented.

" _I'm open to suggestions. Think of something we can both enjoy."_  Neal replied.

" _How about I take you to Denpasar? There's this place there called Istana Raja Kobra. You might want to check it out."_ she said.

" _What kind of place is it?"_ Neal asked with uncertainty.

" _It's an establishment that specializes in snake products...both the wearable and the edible kind."_  she replied.

" _Snake products?"_  Neal said, his eyes widened.

" _You know. Pythons, water snakes, cobras. They have this cobra blood cocktail...it's alcohol mixed with a cobra's blood and entrails. You drink it to_ _improve your health, basically. Good for energy and a better sexual stamina."_  she informed him.

" _I'm fairly certain that I am in pretty good shape...and as for stamina, well, I haven't had any complaints in that department."_  Neal told her.

" _Yeah, okay."_  Alex replied flatly.

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_  Neal asked.

" _What? I'm agreeing with you."_ Alex replied. She saw his unconvinced look.  _"It's been a while since we...you know. So I have no recent recollection of how you are in that department. That's all I'm saying."_  she said.

" _Oh, okay. So how about we just spend the day getting 'reacquainted' then?"_ he dared her, wiggling his eyebrows.

" _Hah! Really? One WHOLE day? I thought you said you wanted an activity that_ _we can BOTH enjoy!"_  Alex mocked him.  _"Fine. We'll forget about the cobra blood cocktail, since it's obviously a delicate subject for you."_  she quipped.  _"Let's go to Negara instead."_  she suggested.

" _I'm almost afraid to ask...what's in Negara?"_  Neal wanted to know.

" _Water buffalo races."_  Alex replied.

" _Water buffalo races?"_  Neal repeated.  _"What, in our entire history together, would lead you to believe that I would enjoy water buffalo races?"_ he asked her.

" _You said you were bored!"_  Alex told him.

" _Yes! But let's think of an activity that doesn't involve poisonous creatures and_ _wild beasts, shall we?"_ he suggested.

Alex grinned, which made Neal more worried.  _"I have the perfect idea...go put on a some decent beachwear and meet me at the port in 30 minutes."_  she instructed Neal.

Neal almost objected, but that playful look on Alex's eyes excited him.  _"Alright. I'll meet you there in half an hour."_ he agreed.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Neal and Alex met at the place that was agreed upon. Neal was wearing boardshorts and a lightweight shirt that was unbuttoned. The attire showed off his strong calves and his toned abs. Alex was wearing a matching pair of emerald green triangle halter top and string bikini swimsuit underneath her sheer silver cover up tunic dress. She waved the set of keys in her hand and had a great big smile on her face.

" _Let's go!"_  she urged him.

Neal merely followed her, as she led him to the pier. She climbed into one of the speedboats and looked at him.  _"Well? Hop in!"_  Alex told him.

Neal did as he was told and joined her at the boat.  _"Whose boat is this?"_  he asked.

" _Borrowed it. Belongs to a friend of mine."_  she replied. She started the motor and slowly began to drive away from the docks.

" _Where are we going?"_  Neal asked her.

" _Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, Caffrey."_  Alex answered.

When the boat finally stopped, they arrived in a small three island clusters about 35km from Padang Bai.  _"We're here."_  Alex announced. She parked the boat in about a quarter of a mile away from land. She turned the ignition off and moved to where Neal was.

" _Where exactly is 'here'?"_  Neal asked, as he looked at the stretch of clear sparkling turquoise water.

" _Welcome to the Gili Islands."_  she said.

" _We just came from the beach..and you take me to another beach."_  Neal pointed out.

" _Quit your bitching, Caffrey!"_  Alex told him.  _"We're not here for the beach."_  she turned him to face the opposite direction. _"We're here for that!"_  she pointed towards a majestic cliff that surrounds the island.

Neal let out a low whistle of admiration. He turned to face Alex, only she was already at the edge of the boat. She took off her cover dress and in a split second, she was in the water.

" _Jump in! Water's perfect!"_  she invited him.

Without another word, he took his shirt off and did as he was told. He and Alex played in the water for a while, before she pulled away and looked at Neal.

" _How's your climbing skills, Caffrey?"_  she asked.

" _Oh, I still got game."_  he bragged.

" _I guess we'll find out soon enough."_  Alex said as she swam away.

Neal followed her.  _"Where are we headed?"_  he asked.

" _To that cliff."_  she answered briefly.  _"We're going to climb it together."_  she told him.

Neal smiled. _"And then what?"_  he asked.

" _Then...we're gonna jump."_ she replied nonchalantly.

" _We're gonna jump?"_  Neal repeated. He looked up. He had some concerns.

" _Come on, Caffrey! You said you were bored. Let's see if you're STILL bored after this."_  Alex challenged him.

They began their trek at the foot of the cliff and slowly ascended. They stopped when they were about 50 feet above. They rested for a bit , breathing in the fresh air. Neal stood at the edge of the cliff, taking in the the view of the simple, yet splendid scenery right before his eyes. Then without warning, he let out a loud whoop and jumped off the cliff . He did a little somersault before his body hit the water. At the bottom, he reappeared in the water moments later, yelling in exhilaration.

" _Show off!"_  Alex shouted from up above.

" _Your turn!"_  Neal urged her.

But Alex didn't jump. Instead she continued to climb up the cliff.

" _Come on, Alex! That's far enough!"_  Neal told her, starting to get worried.

Alex just ignored him and continued her ascent. She didn't stop until she reached the top of the cliff, which was a little over 80 feet above the water, at the very least. She looked down at Caffrey with an ostentatious smile. Neal watched nervously, as she took a leap and did a few twists mid-air before landing on the water.

Neal looked around. It had been a while since Alex hit the water and he still has yet to see her pop up from underneath. He swam towards where Alex had landed in search of her, but he couldn't see her. Finally, he took a deep breath and went underwater to look for her. He found her slowly sinking at the bottom, motionless and unconscious. Quickly, he grabbed a hold of her and slowly pulled her up above.

" _Alex! Alex!"_  Neal shouted in attempt to wake her up, as he struggled to hold her body and keep her head above water. Neal got more worried went she wouldn't regain consciousness.

He positioned one hand to support her head, and the other hand to her stomach. He firmly pressed the heel of his palm down at the base of her rib cage and repeated that a few times. Then, he cupped her chin and covered her mouth with his and started to breath air into her lungs. When nothing happened, he repeated it again, calling out her name every now and then.

Finally, she regained consciousness and spit out the water from her lungs. She looked at Neal, her eyes partly closed and gave him a weak smile. Neal turned her slowly to face him. He wrapped her legs around his torso and draped her arms around his neck, as he struggled to keep the both of them afloat.

" _Don't you ever scare me like that again!"_  Neal scolded her.

Alex's head rested on his shoulder.  _"Oh, Caffrey...I didn't know you cared."_  she whispered softly.

Neal pressed his lips against her ear.  _"I do. What will it take for you to believe me when I say that?"_  he asked.

Alex didn't answer. Her face nuzzled the side of his neck, he could feel her labored breathing. She slowly showed signs of fading out of consciousness yet again.

" _Stay with me, Alex!"_  he told her, as he swam the both of them towards where the boat was.

" _Okay."_  she replied weakly.

Once they reached the boat, he dressed her with her tunic and covered her up with a towel. He went out front and turned the ignition on, revved the engine up and drove the boat back to Padang Bai. Occasionally, he sneaked a few glances on Alex, trying to ensure that she was safe. She just sat there, staring into blank space.

" _You alright?"_  Neal asked her.

" _Mmmhmm."_ Alex replied softly with a weak nod.

Once they reached the docks of Padang Bai, Neal stepped out of the boat first.

" _Wait here, okay? I'm gonna go get help."_  Neal said to her.

" _No, I'm fine."_ Alex protested.

" _Alex, just please...wait here!"_  Neal ordered her.

But Alex has not been known to take orders really well. Next thing Neal knew, he heard a loud thump from behind him. When he turned to look, he saw Alex's body crumpled to the ground, her face down in the sand. He ran back towards her when he saw that she wasn't moving.

" _Alex!"_  Neal said worriedly.

He cradled her into his arms and gently tapped her cheeks a few times. He held her head up and noticed thick strands of hair matted on the side. He stared at his palms and noticed that it was blood. Alex's head was bleeding on the side, inches away from her left temple. Neal panicked and started to yell for help. Luckily, the were a few locals nearby who recognized Alex. They helped them into a car-for-hire and drove them to the nearest infirmary.

Inside the car, in the back seat, Neal held Alex close. Murmuring words of encouragement in her ears to keep her awake and conscious. The driver watched them curiously from the rear-view mirror.

Neal was surprised when he heard the driver spoke.  _"Is she yours?"_  the driver asked.

" _Yes, she is."_  Neal answered without thinking, and went back to taking care of Alex.

* * *

When they got to the infirmary, the doctor and a couple of nurses took Alex away from Neal. He was told to sit by the waiting area while they worked on her. Neal stared at the dried blood on his hand. Alex's blood. He tried to get that image of Alex out of his head. The sight of Alex, unconscious, and bleeding helplessly in his arms made him nauseous. It reminded him of the last time he held her in his arms all those years ago, when she got injured back in Copenhagen. He sighed and rubbed his face, as he sat back in his chair.

A couple of hours had passed and Neal still hasn't heard a word from any of the staff regarding Alex. He was starting to get even more worried. After a few minutes of charming one of the nurses, he found out which room Alex was taken.

Neal stuck his head inside Alex's room, just as she was putting her clothes back on.  _"What the hell are you doing?"_  he asked her, as he entered the room.

Alex looked at him briefly and then continued.  _"Unless I have amnesia, I believe this is how you get dressed."_  she replied sarcastically.

Neal was about to say something when the doctor entered the room.  _"Oh, thank goodness."_ the doctor said.  _"Maybe you can talk some sense into your wife and tell her that it would be unwise for her to leave this hospital against medical advice."_  he told Neal.

" _He's NOT my husband!"_  Alex corrected the doctor.

" _Girlfriend?"_  the doctor guessed, looking at both Neal and Alex.

" _I hardly know the man!"_  Alex scoffed.

" _I'm sorry. The way he worried about you and took care of you, I just assumed that you two were close. My mistake."_  the doctor said.

" _I think you should follow the good doctor's advice and stay here at the hospital."_  Neal told Alex.

" _And I think you should go away now."_ Alex replied. She turned to the doctor.  _"I really am fine." she_  added.

" _You have a laceration in your scalp that required 3 stitches."_  the doctor pointed out.

" _I've had more than that on my head in the past...trust me, 3 stitches is nothing."_ Alex assured the doctor.

" _And you also have a concussion."_  the doctor added.  _"You are fine for_ _now...but we need to monitor you to make sure that you stay fine. Head injuries should not be taken lightly."_ he warned Alex.

" _Look, Doc...you obviously underestimate the thickness of my skull."_  Alex said. _"I swear, any sign of headache or nausea, and I'll come back here and check myself back in."_ she promised.

" _Alright, if you insist. We have some paperwork for you to sign, and then you're free to go."_ the doctor relented, before exiting the room.

Alex looked Neal, who was staring at her disapprovingly.  _"What are you still doing here?"_ she asked him.

Neal ignored her question.  _"Why won't you listen to the doctor? He already told you, it's not safe for you to leave."_ he said.

" _I think I know my body a lot better than that doctor. I'm telling you I'm alright."_ Alex replied. She stood up from the bed, a little too quickly, her coordination still a bit messed up, she almost keeled over.

Neal was quick to catch her.  _"No, you're not alright."_ he contradicted.  _"You're staying here."_ he told her.

" _No, I'm not!"_  Alex protested.

" _Why are you being so stubborn?"_ Neal asked.

Alex took a deep breath before answering. _"I hate hospitals. Nothing good ever happens in hospitals."_  she admitted. With that, she pulled away from Neal, and left the room.

Alex went to the nurses' station and asked for the paperwork she needed to sign. Much to her annoyance, Neal followed her closely behind, worried of what might happen to her if he let her out of his sight.

" _This is an exciting end to your otherwise boring day, Caffrey."_  she remarked.

" _What can I say...you do know how to liven things up."_  Neal answered.

" _You don't have to do this."_  Alex told him.

" _Do what?"_  Neal asked.

" _Babysit me."_  she replied.

" _I'm not babysitting you."_  Neal said.

" _Then, why are you still here?"_  Alex pressed.

" _Why am I here? Because I'm worried for you. I care about you, Alex."_  Neal answered, growing more frustrated.

" _Well, that's a switch."_ Alex commented as she continued to sign her paperwork.  _"You actually felt the need to stay this time. Last time I was in the hospital, I don't recall even seeing as much as your shadow."_  she reminded him, the pain quite audible in her voice.

" _That was different."_  Neal sighed.  _"Things went from complicated to chaotic in a split second. I had to leave, otherwise we both would've been caught."_ Neal tried to make her understand, but Alex wouldn't even look at him.  _"But that was then. Nobody's chasing us now, Alex. I am here for as long as you need me."_  he assured her.

Alex finally turned to face him.  _"That's just it, Neal...I don't need you. Same way that I didn't need you back then. You can leave now."_ she told him.

" _Alex-"_  Neal started to protest.

" _No? Okay fine then...I"LL leave!"_  Alex immediately turned around and headed for the exit.

Neal growled in frustration.  _"By the way, YOU'RE WELCOME!"_ he shouted after her.

" _Go to hell!"_  Alex yelled back, as she stormed off.

Outside the hospital, Alex got inside one of the cars-for-hire and gave the driver her address. She sat there quietly for a while, remembering her encounter with Neal. She rested her forehead on the car's window. Her eyes began to well up and tears soon rolled down her cheeks, as the sad memories of Copenhagen came flooding back to haunt her.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER FOUR** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *My works are self-beta'd...I appreciate your patience with the grammar mistakes.
> 
> *I always had an impression that Alex Hunter was more than just a fence. It made sense (at least to me) to make her an underwater treasure hunter. It ties into the Almiranta side story from "Point Blank".
> 
> *Leopold and Natalia Hunter were the names of Alex's parents from my other fics.
> 
> *More on what happened in Copenhagen in next chapter.
> 
> *Many thanks for taking time to read this installment of my story. If you liked it, please feel free to leave kudos and comments.


	5. How You Remind Me

It had been a couple of days since Neal saw Alex last. After their little discussion back at the hospital, Neal tried calling her, but she had changed her number. He didn't know where she lived, and no one from the island would [volunteer](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/5/Almost_Paradise) to give him that information. He tried to ask the employees from Lolana's but to no avail. Then, he remembered, there was still one person left on the island that could help him.

Neal entered the Tiki Lounge in search for Lima. He found her in a booth in the far corner, sitting on Mozzie's lap and kissing him . He walked towards them and stood next to the couple. They didn't seem to notice him, so he cleared his throat. Still, he got no reaction.

" _Moz, you think you can let go of Lima's tongue long enough for her to talk to me. I need to ask her something."_  Neal finally told Mozzie.

Mozzie broke away from their kiss, much to Lima's chagrin, and looked up to meet Neal's eyes.

" _How about, 'Gee, Moz, glad you got back safely!' Or, 'How was your trip, Mozzie?'"_  he said to Neal, quite annoyed.

" _We'll have time for that later."_  Neal told him. He turned to Lima.  _"I need your help."_ he said urgently.

" _What's up, Blue?"_  Lima asked him.

" _I need to find Alex."_  Neal replied.

" _If by Alex, you mean 'Sierra', then I can't help you."_  she told him.  _"Here's an idea, why don't you go ask Charlie?"_  she suggested.

" _I'm liable to get shot if I do that."_ Neal answered.  _"Please, Lima! I need to find her. It's important."_  he implored Mozzie's girlfriend.

Lima looked at Neal, and then turned her gaze to Mozzie. Mozzie smiled at her.  _"The sooner you talk to him, the sooner he goes away...the sooner we can get back to what we were doing."_  he pointed out.

Lima smiled back.  _"Good point."_  she said to Mozzie. She turned to Neal.  _"Tell me what you need, Blue."_  she told him.

" _I need to know where Alex is. I haven't seen her in two days, I'm really worried about her."_  Neal answered.

" _Why? What happened?"_  Mozzie asked him. Neal told them both about the cliff-diving [accident](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/5/Almost_Paradise). Mozzie shook his head.  _"Seriously, that girl is just a walking disaster."_ he said.

" _Lima, please...I need to know if she's alright!"_ Neal begged her.

" _I haven' t heard from her, Blue. Last time we talked, she said she wasn't feeling well, and that she might take some time off to rest. She didn't tell me about any_ _accident."_ she sighed.

" _Just tell me where she is and I'll go there myself."_ Neal told her.  _"I have looked all over this island and I can't find her. And no one in this island would tell me. Please help me, Lima...you're my only hope."_  he tried to charm her with a smile.

" _Oh, you're good, Blue."_  Lima said.  _"But that smile, and those dimples, and the puppy dog eyes won't work on me."_  she added.

" _Come on, darling. Give the guy a break."_  Mozzie told her.

" _She's a person who values her privacy. I can't betray her trust. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you where she lives, Blue."_  Lima apologized. She saw Neal hung his head low in disappointment.  _"But I suppose, if you guessed, that would be okay."_  she added, with a grin on her face.

Neal's brightened up after he heard what she said.  _"Okay, shoot! Give me a_ _hint."_  he said.

" _Well, you said you scoured the island in search of her..."_ Lima began.

" _Yes, I've looked everywhere...I couldn't find her."_  Neal answered.

" _If you looked everywhere on the island and couldn't find her, that means..."_  she let her voice trail off. Neal's face had a blank expression.

" _That means she does NOT live on this island!"_  Mozzie deduced.

" _Good job, baby!"_ Lima told Mozzie, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

" _She doesn't live on this island?"_  Neal asked.

" _As I've said, she values her privacy. Every local know everyone's business on this island. Her choice of residence is slightly more 'offshore' if you catch my drift."_  Lima replied.

" _Offshore?"_  Neal asked.

Lima rolled her eyes.  _"Just go by the wharf and ask the ferryman to take you to that overwater bungalow by the lake. He'll know where it is."_  she finally told Neal.

" _Thanks, Lima!"_  Neal leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. After that, he ran out of the warung to go to Alex.

" _You didn't hear it from me!"_  Lima shouted after him. She turned her attention back to Mozzie and smiled.  _"So...Moz, huh?"_  she said.  _"Is that short for something?"_  she asked.

" _Maybe."_  Mozzie replied mysteriously.

" _Ohhh...a secret! I must warn you, I have my ways of making a man talk."_  she told him in a sultry voice.

Mozzie saw the look on her face, and smiled.  _"Kinky."_  he said.

" _Oh, kinky doesn't even begin to describe it."_ she whispered into his ear, before she gently nibbled his earlobe.

Mozzie pulled away slightly and looked at her.  _"Let's get out of here. I need a demonstration...see if this 'method' of yours really work."_ With that, he took her hand and they both ran out of the place in a hurry.

* * *

Neal sat on the boat as the ferryman took him out to the lake. He didn't have to wait long since Alex's place wasn't too far from the island. It was an overwater cottage, overlooking a clear lake with striking green mountains on the background. It was a modest and cozy place to dwell, not to mention private and very secluded.

Neal knocked on Alex's door. There was no answer at first, so he did it again. Moments later, Alex opened the door and look at him sleepily. Once she saw it was Neal, she tried to slam the door to his face, but Neal stuck out his foot out so that the door won't close.

" _Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine!"_  Neal greeted her with a smile.

" _Go away, Caffrey."_  Alex told him.

Neal's mile grew wider once he got a full view of Alex. She was wearing a flimsy nightgown that barely reached the middle of her thighs, and a pair of fuzzy slippers. She noticed Neal staring at her and she crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself up.

" _I just wanted to make sure you're okay."_  Neal told her.

" _I'm fine."_  Alex replied.

" _Oh, yeah. You look really fine, alright."_  Neal said suggestively.

Alex glared at him, then noticed he was hiding something in his hand behind his back.  _"What you got there?"_  she asked curiously.

Neal held out his hand.  _"What? This?"_ he said.  _"I come bearing gifts."_  His hand was holding a large size cup of coffee.

" _Wooing a woman with coffee...boy, you have really lost your touch, Caffrey."_  Alex said.

" _Well, if you don't want it..."_  Neal tried to take the coffee away.

" _No way...it's mine now!"_ Alex quickly move away from Neal.

Neal smiled.  _"Now, can I come in?"_  he asked.

Alex relented and let Neal inside. He studied her intently, as she finished her coffee within a few big sips.

" _Did Lima tell you where I live?"_  Alex asked. Neal continued to stare at her, but didn't answer.  _"Remind me to fire her next time I see her."_  she said frustratedly.

" _You're not gonna fire her."_  Neal told her.  _"Besides, it wasn't her fault. Never underestimate Mozzie's power of persuasion."_ he added.

" _They're STILL at it then!"_  she commented, as she put a robe on to cover up her body, much to Neal's disappointment.

" _There's really no use for that. I've already seen you naked numerous times."_ Neal told her.

" _It's been ages since the last time you saw me naked."_  Alex pointed out.

" _Not THAT long ago...remember that skinny dipping stunt you pulled a while back?"_ Neal reminded her.

" _I was under the water the whole time."_ Alex said. She raised an eyebrow.  _"You peeked!"_ she accused him.

" _Maybe."_  Neal replied.  _"The point is, I've seen you naked plenty of times, I have your body memorized by now. I can close my eyes and see what you look like naked. So it's really kind of pointless to cover yourself up."_  he continued. He closed his eyes and moments later, had a huge grin on his face.  _"See? I have an image of your naked body right now!"_  he teased.

Alex gently smacked him on the side of his head.  _"Stop that!"_  she said. Neal still had his eyes closed and his smile grew even wider.  _"Seriously, stop it!"_ she told him again.

Neal opened his eyes and looked at her.  _"You look good naked."_  he said playfully.

" _That's it! You're not allowed to visualize me naked anymore."_  she told him.

" _Why not?"_  Neal asked her.

" _Because we're not together anymore."_ Alex answered.  _"I have a boyfriend now."_ she reminded him.

" _Oh, yes...Colin Henry, Reuters photojournalist extraordinaire!"_ Neal remarked.

" _You looked my boyfriend up?"_  Alex asked him incredulously.

" _I still don't trust him."_  Neal replied.

" _Doesn't matter what you think."_  Alex told him.

" _Go out with me."_  Neal proposed.

" _What? Like on a date? No!"_ she answered.

" _Why not?"_  he asked again.

" _Again...I have a boyfriend!"_  Alex reiterated.

" _Your boyfriend isn't here."_  Neal said suggestively.

" _And YOU are leaving in a couple of days."_  she reminded him.

" _You don't know that. I can see myself staying here indefinitely."_  he revealed to her.

" _Does Mozzie know that?"_  she asked.

" _Mozzie won't mind staying...he has a gorgeous woman sexing him up constantly."_  Neal pointed out.  _"So...how about it? Go out with me."_  he pressed.

Alex thought about the idea for a moment. She saw the look in Neal's eyes.  _"Well, I was going to take the kids from the Children's Village to go to the Kuta Karnival today. You're more than welcome to join us."_  she said softly.

" _It's a date!"_  Neal replied.

" _No, it is NOT a date. It isn't even close to being a date."_  Alex denied.  _"I merely asked you if you wanted to accompany us to the Kuta Karnival."_  she clarified.

" _I don't get it...how is this NOT a date?"_  Neal asked.

" _There will absolutely be NO sex for you at the end of the day."_  Alex answered.

" _When you put it like that, I don't see how I can refuse."_  Neal said.

Alex smiled. She noticed what time it was.  _"I better get ready then."_  she told him.  _"I'm gonna go take a bath now." she_  said.

" _And I will be right here, waiting for you."_  Neal replied.  _"Remember that...just in case you need my help with rubbing any of the 'hard to reach places'."_  he implied.

Alex threw one of her slippers at him, which whizzed past his head.  _"Missed me!"_ Neal said. His laugh was cut short when Alex's other slipper hit him in the face.

* * *

Later, at the Kuta Karnival, Neal and Alex were joined by the Lastri and the kids from the Children's Village, as well as Lima and Mozzie. Neal observed Alex and the way she treated the children, the way she made sure that they all were enjoying themselves. It was a side of Alex that was rarely seen, at least not my him.

Mozzie excused himself from Lima and headed over to talk to Neal. He noticed his friend as he watched Alex intently. He cleared his throat to get Neal's attention.

" _Oh, hey Moz."_ Neal greeted him.

" _Hey."_  Mozzie greeted back.  _"Listen, Neal, I met with Charlie earlier."_  he told him.  _"I gave him the merchandize already. I hope you don't mind."_  he added.

" _No, not at all."_  Neal answered, not taking his eyes off Alex.

" _The thing is, he said he already has buyers lined up. He can have the money wire to our account as early as tonight."_  Mozzie revealed.

Neal turned away from Alex to look at Mozzie.  _"Tonight? That fast?"_  he asked.

" _Yeah."_  Mozzie replied.  _"So if you're planning to make a move, mon fr_ _ _ère, do it soon."__  he urged Neal.

They were soon joined by Lima and Merpati, who grabbed Mozzie's hand and tried to pull him to the direction of the cotton candy stand. The little girl's smile tugged at Mozzie's heart.  _"You want a cotton candy, sweetheart?"_  he asked. The little girl nodded. Mozzie turned to Neal.  _"I have to go. I'm surrounded by beautiful yet fairly demanding women."_  he told his friend, before talking Lima and Merpati to buy some cotton candy.

Neal thought about what Mozzie said. He didn't want to leave yet, especially now that he was already making some progress with Alex. And he couldn't just ask Alex to run away with him, for she will surely say no. He continued to observe Alex. Her laughter, as she played with the children made her look even more beautiful. He exhaled as tried to think of an alternative to leaving. His mind was too far away, he didn't notice Lastri walk up to him.

 _"Is there something wrong, Mr. Moreau?_ " Lastri asked him.

 _"I just have a lot of things weighing on my mind, Lastri._ " Neal answered.

 _"You too, huh?"_  the elderly woman asked. _"There's a lot of that going around lately."_  she said. She too observed Alex and the children from a distance.

 _"What's weighing on your mind?"_  Neal asked her.

 _"I don't know how to tell them..."_  Lastri replied. She looked at Neal.  _"Sierra and the children...they'd be devastated."_  she continued.

Neal furrowed his eyebrow. _"Tell them what?"_  he asked.

Lastri sighed.  _"The Children's Village...it's being torn down soon."_  she revealed.  _"Some rich land developer is trying to buy the property from the local officials."_  she continued.

 _"Can they do that?"_  Neal asked.

 _"The deal is not closed yet, but I imagine it would be soon._ " Lastri replied.

 _"What about the kids? What's going to happen to them?"_  Neal asked again.

 _"I don't know, Mr. Moreau."_  she answered. She looked at the children's happy faces. _"But for now, there's nothing I can do, except make sure that the children enjoyed this day."_  she told him.

Neal and Lastri soon joined Alex and the kids. Lastri took over looking after the group, while Neal took Alex aside to talk to her.

 _"You having fun?"_  Neal asked her.

 _"Yes, I am."_  Alex answered.

 _"No, you're not. You're too busy making sure that everyone else is having fun."_  Neal pointed out.

 _"Seeing those kids happy makes me happy."_  she replied.

 _"Come on...let's go do something."_  Neal told her.

 _"Like what?"_  Alex asked.

 _"I don't know...something fun."_  Neal replied, as he took her hand in his.

Together, they walked around the Karnival, passing by different booths, trying out the local food. Neal was determined to have at least one happy moment to share with Alex before he leaves Bali.

Alex just stopped walking all of a sudden. Neal noticed her staring at something and followed her gaze. She was looking at the carousel, her mind caught inside a powerful memory.

 _"You okay?"_  Neal asked.

 _"You really need to stop asking me that, Caffrey."_  Alex answered. She looked at him.  _"I'm fine. I just remembered a happy moment in my life."_  she told him.

 _"Care to share?_ " he asked.

 _"After my parents died, my grandparents took me in. They were old, and they weren't exactly the richest people in New York City, but they did their best to raise me. I didn't always get what I wanted, but they made sure I got what I needed. They were probably the most loving people I knew."_  Alex told Neal.

Neal just looked at Alex, as she continued with the rest of her story.  _"My fondest memory of them from when I was a child involves a carousel. See, every time I got good grades, my grandparents would always take me tothe Central Park Carousel. We would wait in line for an hour, just to get to that 3 and a half minute ride...it was worth it. I remember the sweet calliope music that always played during the ride. And I remember I always got to ride thewhite pony with the red saddle."_  She turned to Neal and noticed him just staring at her.  _"Anyway, it's nice to have fond memories like that with the people you love."_  she told him.

Neal beheld her beauty as she stood in front of him. He realized that underneath the facade, Alex was not the high maintenance woman she makes herself out to be. On the contrary, it didn't really take much to make her happy. That gave Neal an idea.

Without warning, Neal lightly grabbed Alex's hand.  _"Let's go."_  he said, pulling her forward.

 _"Where?"_  she asked.

 _"The carousel."_  he answered.

 _"Are you kidding me? They're not gonna let us in there. It's for kids!"_  Alex told him.

 _"Well, you are a kid at heart...and I've been accused more than once of being the boy who wouldn't grow up. I think that makes us qualified for that ride."_  Neal replied. _"Come on, my treat. Think of the white pony with the big red saddle."_  he urged her.

Hand in hand, they ran towards the carousel. Neal gave the attendant more than enough money to let them on the ride. Soon enough, they were on the carousel, next to each other...with Alex riding the white pony with the red saddle, as promised. Neal watched her as she laughed the whole time. Probably the first time he had seen her laugh heartily since he arrived in Bali. Neal realized that this was it...that one happy memory with Alex that he'll take with him once he leaves.

Once they got off the carousel, Alex thanked Neal and rejoined the Lastri and the children. Neal was approached by Mozzie.

 _"That looked like fun."_  Mozzie said.

 _"That, it was."_  Neal replied.

 _"Take out your phone."_  Mozzie told him. Neal did as he was told.  _"I'm sending you something."_  Mozzie said, as he took out his own phone.

Neal heard the beep of the message alert and saw that Mozzie sent him an image file. Neal opened the file, and saw a photo of him and Alex on the carousel, laughing and enjoying the ride...like a couple of kids having the time of their lives.

Neal turned to look at his friend.  _"Thanks, Moz."_  he said.

 _"You're welcome, mon frère."_  Mozzie replied.

* * *

Once they got back to the island late that afternoon, Neal and Mozzie headed to Lolana's to meet up with Charlie. They found the older man at his usual table, working on his laptop. When he saw Neal and Mozzie, he waved them over to join him.

 _"Did the little guy tell you?"_  Charlie asked Neal.  _"I sold the merchandize."_  he added.

 _"Yes, he told me, Charlie. Thank you."_  Neal replied.

 _"He sold the pieces for one and a quarter million...we were only only expecting three quarters of a million."_  Mozzie said.  _"You are good!"_  he told the old man.

 _"There's one more thing we need to do."_  Charlie told them. He cracked his knuckles, then went on typing on the laptop. Mozzie sat next to him.

Neal just let them do the work. His heart wasn't really set on it. It was just another one of those things that inched him closer to leaving the island...leaving Alex behind. He looked out the window and watched Alex as she played with Kersen and Merpati. They were trying to fly the kite they bought back at the Karnival, but the kite kept falling down. Neal laughed softly as he witnessed them do the same thing and got the same result.

 _"Alright, so that's $1,250,000 minus my 23% makes it $962,500."_  Charlie said to Mozzie.

 _"Check."_  Mozzie replied.

 _"I just need your account and routing number..."_  Charlie told Mozzie.

Mozzie typed it in.  _"There you go."_  he said.

 _"The money will be wired within the next few hours."_  Charlie declared. _"In spirit of camaraderie, I'll even pay for both of your one-way tickets outta here. It was a pleasure doing business with you."_  he shook Mozzie's hand. He turned to shake Neal's hand as well, but Neal's mind was some place else.

 _"What the hell is wrong with him?"_  Charlie asked Mozzie.

Mozzie shrugged and pointed out the window to where Neal was looking. Charlie looked out and saw Alex playing with the kids.

 _"She loves those kids." Charlie_  revealed to them.

 _"I can see that. It's funny though, Alex never struck me as the maternal type."_  Neal replied.

 _"That's Alex...you can only see what she wants you to see. Truth is, she's been wanting to have children of her own for a while now. She figured she'll never be alone again if she has a kid. Not really the right reason to have a child, if you ask me...but Alex has a lot of love to give. She would've been a great mother."_  Charlie told her.

Neal shook his head.  _"Don't get me wrong, Charlie, but I think the reason why Alex always ends up alone is because she likes to keep people at bay."_  he said.

 _"Don't be so quick to judge, Blue Eyes. There's a reason why she does what she does."_  Charlie replied.  _"She treats people the same way she treats fire...good for warmth and comfort, but if you stay too close for too long, you get burned."_  he added.

 _"Is that why she leaves a trail of broken relationships?"_  Neal asked.

Charlie shook his head. _"Wrong again, Blue Eyes. Alex doesn't leave people...people leave her. At least, that's what she believes inside her head. She carries around so much guilt from everyone she loves dying on her...leaving her behind. She goes through life every single day worried that someone she loves is going to leave her, and that it's going to be her fault. What do you think makes her run so fast?"_  he told Neal.  _"Her heart had been shattered to many pieces too many times over...the death of her parents, her grandparents, her kid, and Hale-"_  he said before he was interrupted.

 _"Wait...did you just say kid?"_  Neal asked.

 _"Alex had a child?"_  Mozzie asked almost at the same time.

 _"You didn't know?"_  Charlie asked. He looked out the window again and watched Alex with the children. _"The child would've been Kersen's age by now."_  he revealed.

 _"What happened?"_  Mozzie inquired.

 _"She lost the baby. The kid never had a chance to be born."_  Charlie answered. _"That's too bad, cause that kid missed out on having a terrific mother."_  he added.

 _"Go on."_  Neal urged the older man.

 _"You have to understand, it wasn't Alex's fault. She didn't know she was pregnant at the time."_  Charlie clarified.  _"It happened years ago. She did a job in Copenhagen. It was supposed to be a simple recovery job...before everything went to hell. Next thing she knew, she woke up in some French hospital...that's when the doctor told her she lost her baby."_  he continued.

Neal held his breath from the moment he heard the word 'Copenhagen'. His thoughts screamed at him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

 _"You wanna know what the kicker is?"_  Charlie asked interrupting Neal's thoughts.  _"The baby's father just left her there. Didn't even bother to check on her. Didn't care enough to visit her at the hospital. He just left her there."_  he added, you could hear every bit of his anger spilling from him mouth. _"Now, I know that I'm a bastard...I'll be the first one to admit that. But what the hell kind of man would leave a woman behind, injured and alone in some foreign land, just so he could make his own get away scott-free?"_  he said, fully knowing that every single word he uttered sliced into Neal's heart. With that, he quickly stood up and left the lounge, leaving Neal and Mozzie stunned.

The was silence for a while. Mozzie was the first to talk.  _"After Kate left you, you carried on a relationship with Alex. That seem to have ended after the Copenhagen job"_  he recalled.  _"You're the kid's father."_  he deduced.

Neal just sat there, his hands clasped together, his face pale with the shock.  _"Yes."_  he answered softly once he regained his voice. He looked at Mozzie with pleading eyes brimming with tears.  _"You have to believe me, Moz, I had no idea!"_  he told his friend.

 _"I know...I know."_  Mozzie reassured him.

 _"I just left her there..."_  Neal recalled.  _"I took off and just left her there."_  he repeated.

 _"Like you said, you didn't know."_  Mozzie replied.

Neal wasn't listening to him though. _" I can't even imagine how hurt and terrified she must have been back then...and I just left her there alone."_ he continued. Finally, stood up and headed for the door.  _"I have to talk to her, Moz!"_  he said as he left hurriedly.

 _"Neal, wait!"_  Mozzie said, but it was too late. Neal was already gone.

* * *

Outside, Alex waved goodbye to Kersen and Merpati. It was starting to get dark, and they need to go back to the Children's Village. She turned around to go back to Lolana's, when she saw Neal. He stood there and stared at her, with tears in his eyes. She immediately got worried.

 _"Neal...what's wrong?"_  she asked him.

Neal slowly moved closer and a pulled her into a tight embrace.  _"I'm sorry, Alex! I am so sorry!"_  he apologized.

Alex pulled back slightly.  _"Sorry? About what?"_  she asked again.

Neal looked at her tenderly. _"I know about what happened in Copenhagen, Alex."_  he revealed.

There was a mixture of pain, sadness and anger on Alex's face.  _"Charlie?"_  she asked. Neal nodded his head.  _"Why the hell would he tell you that?"_  she spat out angrily.

 _"More importantly, why didn't YOU tell me?"_  Neal asked her.

Alex tried to pull away from Neal's grasp, but he wouldn't let her go. _"I didn't know, Neal! Believe me, I didn't know I was pregnant. If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken that risk jumping the palace gates. I wouldn't have taken that job at all."_  Alex tried to convince him, tears running down her cheeks.  _"I'm sorry!"_  she said in between sobs.

Neal held her tightly.  _"Shhh...I believe you. It's wasn't your fault."_  he tried to comfort her.

Alex gently pushed Neal away.  _"Charlie shouldn't have said anything. He had no right!"_  she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

 _"I needed to know."_  Neal replied.

 _"Why? It doesn't do us any good."_  she pointed out.  _"I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want you to know about that one more thing in your life that you lost...something in life you wanted, but didn't get to have. I wanted to save you from all that grief."_  Alex explained.

 _"God, Alex! Why is it that you get irritated whenever I want to protect you, but it's okay for you to protect me?"_  Neal said angrily.  _"You should have told me."_  he added.

 _"I don't see the point of discussing-"_  she replied before Neal interrupted her.

 _"You don't see the point?"_  Neal asked incredulously.

 _"I don't want to talk about it!"_  Alex yelled.

 _"Why the hell not?"_  Neal pressed.

 _"Because it's painfully cruel!"_  she answered. _"I keep thinking of the words I will NEVER get to hear from my child...'Goodnight, Mommy!' and 'I love you, Mommy!' I will never know how it feels like to hug or kiss my child goodnight. That won't happen because my baby is gone."_  Tears began to fall from her eyes again.  _"I lost my baby...our baby. It's okay if you hate me, Neal. I have never forgiven myself for what happened. I don't think I ever will."_  she told him.

 _"I don't hate you, Alex. Nobody hates you."_  Neal assured her.  _"Look around...everyone loves you. People do care about you...you just think we're all wrong."_  he told her.

 _"Why don't you just go, Caffrey? I know that you have your money...so why don't you just go? It will be the best thing for both of us."_  she said to him. _"Just leave, and never look back. Because I can't stand to look at you and not remember everything that I've lost."_  With that, she turned around and ran away.

 _"Sorry, Alex."_  Neal whispered to himself. _"I can't do that...I can't leave you. Not again."_  he muttered. He took his hands and rubbed his face.  _"MOZZIE!"_  he called his friend, who he knew was standing not too far away from him.

Mozzie emerged from the shadows and walked towards him. _"We staying?"_  he asked Neal.

 _"Hell yeah, we're staying."_  Neal answered with great determination.

 _"Alright...I'll go talk to Charlie."_  Mozzie told him, before leaving to find the older man.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER FIVE** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *It's been said before that Neal never says that he'sorry. I wanted to create a scenario where Neal genuinely felt the need to apologize...and actually meant it.
> 
> *Writers have been pretty vague about Neal and Alex's relationship was like and what really happened in Copenhagen. This is MY take on their story.
> 
> *Many thanks for the patience and the love. Hope you like this installment of the story.


	6. Healing

Neal did his routine early morning stroll on the beach the next morning. He was soon joined by Mozzie, followed closely by Charlie. Mozzie had a huge grin on his face, while Charlie had a look of disbelief.

" _Did I hear all that correctly or was the little guy messing with me?"_  Charlie asked Neal.

" _Yes, you heard him correctly."_  Neal answered.

" _Why?"_  Charlie pressed.

" _Because it's the right thing to do."_  Neal replied.

" _And doing the right thing has become a priority of yours all of a sudden?"_  Charlie retorted.

" _Charlie, I understand how you must hate my guts...but believe me, I'm not an evil man. I'm not perfect, I'll give you that. But I'm not as bad a you think I am."_  Neal told the older man.

Charlie paused to think for a moment before he spoke.  _"You think that THIS will set things right between you and Alex?"_  he asked.

" _She doesn't know that I'm doing this. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. Let's keep this between us."_  Neal told him. Charlie merely stood there and stared at him. Neal too a deep breath and continued to speak. _"I don't expect you to trust me or to like me, Charlie. I know that I hurt Alex...that was never my intention. I've done a lot of things in the past that I can't undo. But there ARE things that I can fix. And I was hoping you could help me."_  Neal implored him.

Charlie hesitated at first before finally nodding.  _"Alright, Blue Eyes, I'm in."_ he agreed. He looked at Mozzie.  _"I don't know how long you two are planning to stay..."_  he said, before turning his gaze at Neal.  _"...but if you_ _hurt Alex in_ _any way, shape, or form while you're here, I will rip every appendage of your body starting with your dick."_  the older man warned him.

" _Duly noted."_  Neal replied.

Charlie tipped his hat at the two before he walked away.

" _Don't look now, but I think we just made it on his Christmas list."_ Mozzie said, his grin from ear to ear.

" _You seem unusually cheerful today."_ Neal noticed.

" _We did a good thing...a lot of people would be happy."_  Mozzie replied.

" _So, you're okay with us staying here?"_  Neal asked his friend.

" _You mean suffer through living in paradise a little while longer? Yeah, I guess I'm okay with it."_ Mozzie replied, as he and Neal entered Lolana's.

* * *

Once inside, Neal let his eyes wander around to look for Alex. He saw her at the far corner of the lounge. Her head leaned by the window, her hands rested on her belly, her eyes filled with sadness, as she she looked out the window gazing upon the children playing on the beach. He was about to approach her when Lima got in his way.

" _I think you should leave her alone for now, Blue."_  Lima told him.

" _I am DONE leaving her alone, Lima."_  Neal answered.

" _I'm not telling you to stay away from her, just give her some time to herself."_  Lima said.  _"She's been through enough pain...she needs time to heal."_  she added.

" _Maybe the two of them can heal together."_  Mozzie suggested.

Lima nodded her head slightly, and got out of Neal's way. It was too late though. Alex saw Neal approaching and proceeded to head out the back way.

" _She's not ready, Blue."_  Lima said to Neal.

Neal nodded.  _"I know. I'll be here when she is."_  he assured her.

* * *

Alex went to her office at the back room when her phone rang. She answered it and was surprised to hear Lastri's excited voice.

" _Oh, thank you so much!"_  Lastri said.

" _Thank me for what?"_  Alex asked.

" _For your generous donation!"_  Lastri exclaimed. She then told Alex how an anonymous benefactor donated a huge amount of money to save the Children's Village from being torn down.  _"I just assumed that it was you, my dear."_ she told Alex.

" _Lastri, I didn't even know that the Children's Village was about to be torn down. It wasn't me."_  Alex denied.

" _Then who was it?"_  Lastri wondered.

" _It's a mystery."_  Alex replied, but she has a good idea who. She said goodbye and hung up the phone, before she headed out of her office.

Alex saw Neal and Mozzie sitting at the bar. She quickly grabbed her terry hoodie from the rack and put it on. She then proceeded to head out the door when Neal caught her.

" _Where are you going?"_  Neal asked her.

Alex walked towards Neal and Mozzie.  _"I'm headed over to the Children's Village."_  she answered. She started to walk away, then turn around face them again.  _"By the way, Lastri sends her gratitude."_ she told them.

" _Gratitude?"_  Mozzie tried to feign innocence.

" _Don't play dumb, Moz. It doesn't fit you."_  Alex told him.  _"Some kind-hearted benefactor donated a huge amount of money to save the Children's Village. She thought it was me. I think it's the two of you."_  she said.

" _Why would you think that?"_  Neal asked her.

" _$962,500."_  Alex told him.  _"That's the exact amount that was donated."_  she revealed. She looked at both Neal and Mozzie.  _"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."_  she added. She paused for a moment before speaking.  _"Thank you. I really mean that."_  she reiterated.

" _For the record, we admit to none of these accusations of good deeds we allegedly did."_ Neal told her.

" _OFF the record...you're welcome."_  Mozzie said with a smile.

" _It means a lot...not just to me, but also to the people around here. That money is more than enough to buy the land, fix the place up, and provide other amenities for the kids."_ Alex told them.

" _We're glad we could help."_ Mozzie replied.  _"But let's keep this as our little secret, shall we?"_  he said.

" _My lips are sealed."_  Alex promised.

She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before she turned around and headed out the door. Neal quickly stood up and ran after her.

" _Alex."_  he called her back.

She stopped walking and turned to face him.  _"Yes, Neal?"_  she said.

Neal stood in front of her for a moment and looked into her eyes. Finally, he spoke.  _"I didn't give away all that money to the Children's Village just to get you back."_  he convinced her.

" _I'm not egotistical to believe that you did this because of me. Besides, having me BACK implies that I was YOURS in the past...and we both know that's not true."_  Alex replied.

Neal took a deep breath.  _"Are we okay?"_  he asked.

" _Of course, we are."_  she answered softly and reluctantly.

" _Good."_  Neal said.  _"Because you know this means that I'm staying, right?"_  he told her.

" _That's alright, the island's big enough for both of us...for now."_  Alex replied. With that, she walked away from Neal yet again.

" _I'll see you around, Alex."_  Neal called after her. She didn't stop nor did she answer...and Neal was left there standing and watching her.

* * *

In the following days after that, Alex had mastered the art of avoidance and turned it in to an art form when it came to dodging Neal. Most of the time, she was away on a diving expedition. On the times she came back, she kept mostly to herself on her secluded overwater cottage. She had even left word to the ferryman not to let Neal across the lake. Whenever she's on the island, she has managed to not cross paths with Neal.

Even if their paths did cross, it only turned into an awkward situation. She immediately leaves once they see each other at the Children's Village. She usually conceals herself in the backroom whenever Neal and Mozzie were at Lolana's. On rare moments that they have a chance to talk, their conversation was pretty limited to 'hi' and 'hello', followed by other single-word responses and an occasional smile here and there.

Neal finally caught up with her on the beach one morning during one of their early morning jogs. He sneaked up behind her and whispered in her ear.

" _Good morning."_  he greeted.

Alex was surprised and jumped at the sound of his voice.  _"Neal! You startled me."_ she told him, smacking his arm.

" _Funny...you're not the type to scare easily. Tell me, what exactly is it about me that terrifies you so much? Why are you so afraid of me?"_  he asked.

" _I'm not afraid of you."_  she corrected him.

" _You've been avoiding me."_  he pointed out.

" _I have not."_  she denied.

" _Yes, you have."_  Neal insisted. He moved closer towards her and rested his hands on her shoulders.  _"I miss you, Alex."_  he confessed.

" _So, that's what this is about? You 'missing' me?"_  Alex asked him.

" _Yes."_  Neal answered, leaning closer and brushing his lips on her hair.

Alex pulled away from him.  _"The thrill is in the chase, never the capture."_  Alex reminded him, before walking away.

" _Yeah, but you have to be curious, at least...about that kind of thrill I can bring you once I do capture you."_ Neal said playfully. Alex just smiled and then continued her jog. _"Keep running, Alex. I'll wear you down eventually."_  he warned her.

Alex reached the end of the beach, when her cellphone rang. She saw the familiar number and quickly answered it.

" _Hello."_  she said with a smile.

" _Hello, darling."_  the familiar voice greeted her.  _"Did you miss me?"_ the voice asked in a seductive tone.

* * *

The following late afternoon, Mozzie went to Neal's beach house in search of his friend. He found Neal in the room next to the master's bedroom, which he had turned into an art studio. He was standing in front of an easel, his back was to the window. He had a palette on one hand and a paintbrush on the other. His face and arms had blotches of different colored paint.

Neal knew that he was there before he actually saw him.  _"Well, Moz..."_  he sighed deeply.  _"In all the urgency of our getaway, I seem to have forgotten something very important."_  he said as he looked at Mozzie.  _"I left my talent in New York City."_  he continued.

Mozzie peeked at the canvas. Neal had painted nothing except a big, black background, with several splashes of different colored paint.

" _It's...definitely abstract."_  Mozzie commented. He saw Neal shook his head and scoffed.  _"Okay...so you're in a rut. It's not uncommon. You just need some inspiration."_ he suggested.

" _I'm blocked."_  Neal said.  _"I can't move forward...I can't look back. I'm blocked."_  he repeated.

Mozzie observed his friend and saw his anguish.  _"Have you talked to Alex? Are things fine between the two of you?"_  he asked.

" _We talked...in passing."_ Neal answered.  _"She said that we're 'okay'."_  he added.

" _And do you agree with her?"_  Mozzie asked again.

" _I don't know, Moz. Maybe we are okay. Almost."_  Neal replied with hesitation.

" _Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, my friend."_  Mozzie told him.  _"You two need to have a real conversation. An honest, don't-hold-anything-back type of discussion. Just hash it out. You see, what you have with Alex right now is a lot like a boil. You need to drain all the pus out from the abscess before the infection can heal completely."_ he analyzed.

" _Okay...first of all, EWWW at that analogy!"_ Neal cringed.  _"Second of all, I can't exactly have a decent conversation with Alex if she keeps avoiding me."_  he said.  _"Third, even if I do manage to catch her, I can't guarantee that she'll talk to me."_  he added.

" _Hey, do you remember those days when you can actually smooth talk a woman?"_  Mozzie joked.  _"Do all the talking if you have to. Make her listen to you."_ he advised. _"Anything is better than you wallowing here in your sorrow."_ he added.

" _I might hurt her."_  Neal said.

" _She might kill you."_  Mozzie pointed out.

Neal chuckled.  _"Yeah, she might. At least it will be an easy murder to solve."_ he joked.  _"Fine...I'll try again."_  he decided.

" _Do or do not...there is no try."_  Mozzie told him.

" _Yes, Master Yoda."_  Neal quipped, with mocked bow.

" _No time like the present."_  Mozzie said.  _"Go make yourself pretty...we're going to Lolana's."_  he told Neal.

* * *

It was already dark when Neal and Mozzie reached Lolana's. They heard drum beats and saw a huge bonfire by the beach outside the Tiki Lounge. There was a portable bar that served drinks, and people were starting to arrive. Mozzie saw Tango dancing with two of the local girls.

" _What's the party for, Tango?"_  Mozzie asked the young man.

" _Who knows...who cares? In paradise, we don't need excuse...we just party!"_ Tango replied, as he continued to dance.

Neal laughed and Mozzie shook his head. They headed inside Lolana's in search of Lima and Alex. They found Lima by the bar, dressed in a light pink halter top beach dress. Mozzie gave her a quick kiss.

Lima spun around like a model.  _"You like?"_  she asked him.

" _Oh yeah, I like...a lot!"_  Mozzie replied.

" _Is Alex around?"_ Neal asked Lima.

" _Yes, she arrived like half an hour ago."_  Lima answered.

Just then, Alex came out from the back room. Neal caught his breath for a moment when he saw her. She was wearing a hazy lavender, strapless lace mini dress. She wore her hair down, her soft curls cascading over her bare bronze shoulders. Her toned legs looked longer wearing those espadrille wedges. She smiled and walked towards them.

" _You look beautiful."_  Neal said once he finally found his voice.

" _Thank you."_  Alex replied. Then, something caught her eye from outside. Her smile grew wider.  _"I have to go."_  she told them. With that, she headed out the door.

Neal followed her with his eyes and watched her through the window. He saw a handsome man wrap his arms around Alex's waist. Alex in turn wrapped her arms his neck, as the man gave Alex a deep, slow kiss on her lips.

" _Who the hell is that?"_  Neal asked.

" _Uh oh..."_ Lima said.  _"THAT would be Colin Henry."_  she replied.

" _THE Colin Henry?"_  Mozzie wanted clarification.

" _Yep...in the flesh."_  Lima answered.  _"All of his 6 foot 7 tall, tan-skinned, hard-muscled gorgeous flesh."_  she sighed with admiration.

" _What the hell is he doing here?"_  Neal asked.

" _Well...at the moment, he's making out with his girlfriend. Later, who knows..."_  Lima implied.

Neal continued to watch Alex with Colin.  _"I don't get it...what does she see in him?"_  he wondered.

" _Are you kidding me? He's tall, has long blonde hair, chiseled features, piercing green eyes. His torso is like carved in marble. His ass is like two scoops of butter pecan ice cream that you can bounce a quarter off. He's like JD...you know, Brad Pitt from 'Thelma and Louise'. Women love that shit!"_ she enumerated in great detail.  _"I hate to say this...but you in trouble, Blue!"_  she told Neal.

" _You seem to be REALLY acquainted with the man's body."_  Mozzie observed suspiciously.

" _Oh, you have no idea, darling."_  she told Mozzie. She turned back to Neal and leaned closer.  _"FYI, the man is 'GIFTED'."_ she whispered.

" _What do you mean?"_ Neal asked.

" _You know...some men are born endowed...other men are born WELL-endowed..."_  Lima let her voice trail off.

" _I'm almost fairly certain that I'll regret asking you this, but what was Colin born?"_  Neal asked her reluctantly.

" _A tripod."_  Lima replied, giggling.

" _You slept with the man?"_  Mozzie accused her.

" _I did not!"_  she denied.  _"But I have seen him in all his naked glory."_  she confessed.  _"I caught him and Alex skinny dipping in the lake one time."_  She saw the curious glare from Mozzie.  _"What? It was an accident."_  she swore.

" _No freakin' way!"_  Neal said.

" _Yes freakin' way!"_  Lima replied.

" _Skinny dipping is OUR thing! Mine and Alex!"_  Neal told them.

" _And I'm sure you've NEVER skinny dipped with any other woman before, right? You've only skinny dipped exclusively with her?"_ Lima said accusingly.  _"Besides, Colin's her boyfriend...you are not!"_  she pointed out.  _"She's free to swim naked with her well-hung boyfriend in any body of water at any time she wants."_  she added.

" _Can we stop talking about that man's family jewels, please?"_  Mozzie interjected.

" _You are not being fair with your comparison...you have never seen me naked!"_  Neal argued.  _"How do you know I'm not a tripod?"_  he asked Lima.

" _Neal, we are not having a conversation about YOUR genitals in front of my girlfriend!"_  Mozzie protested.  _"Besides, so what if the guy is 'bigger' than you-"_ he said.

" _You don't know that!"_ Neal interrupted him.

" _It's not the size that matters, it's how you use it."_  Mozzie told him.

" _Hah!"_  Lima laughed.  _"To women who love to be pleasured...BOTH matters."_  she told them. She looked at Mozzie. _"You think I'd always be jumping your bones all the time if you weren't so-"_  she tried to add.

" _OKAY!"_  Neal interrupted her.  _"I don't need to hear the sordid details of your sex life."_  he cringed.  _"I'm going outside."_  he told them, leaving the couple to themselves.

* * *

Neal joined the party outside, but kept at a comfortable distance from Alex and Colin. He watched while the two danced to the music, as Colin laughed and whispered into Alex's ear. His eyebrows furrowed every time he saw Colin let his hands roam all over Alex's body. Neal's mood became increasingly irritated as he continued to observe Colin with Alex. He was in this state when Charlie found him.

" _You know, for a guy who's surrounded by upbeat music, cold booze, and women who are dressed like there's a fabric shortage in the world, you look kinda glum."_  Charlie observed, as sat beside Neal and offered him a bottle of beer.

" _Thanks."_  Neal replied, only taking his eyes off of Alex for a moment.

" _No problem. Have a drink or two, and then we'll see if we can get any of these scantily clad ladies to dance with you afterwards."_  Charlie told him.

" _Not really in the mood."_  Neal replied.

" _Come on! It's a party, pal."_  Charlie pointed out. Then he noticed Neal eyeing Alex and Colin, and realized why Neal was in such a sullen mood.  _"Hey, look...if it's a choice between you and 'baby Thor' over there, my vote goes to you."_ he consoled Neal. He patted the younger man on the back and stood up.

Neal chuckled at the nickname.  _"You're a good man, Charlie Knight."_  he told him.

" _Don't tell anyone...it'll ruin my street cred."_  Charlie replied before he walked away.

Neal decided to focus his attention on Alex. He observed how she laughed while she danced. How she looked into Colin's eyes as he held her close. How she smiled whenever Colin whispered something into her ear. She was having a great time. Neal had nothing against her having a great time. What annoyed him was that she was having the time of her life with 'baby Thor' and not Neal.

He took a swig of his beer and continued to watched Alex. He was too engrossed in her that he didn't notice a stranger approach him. He didn't see her until she stood beside him and smiled.

" _Hi, my name's Delta...Delta Darrow. I hope I'm not being too forward, but I've been watching you all this time from across the bar...and I LIKE what I saw."_  the woman told Neal in a thick Texan accent.

Neal took his eyes off of Alex and looked at Delta. The woman was tall, her skin was silky smooth, her hair was a mass of honey blonde curls, and her body was curvy that was sure to make heads turn. He stared at Delta from head to foot. She looked like a woman who was used to getting all the attention she craved. She had supple breasts, toned abs and wide sexy hips. She was nearly bare naked save for the very skimpy two-piece bathing suit she had on, and the silver toe ring on her left foot.

Neal gave it some thought. He turned his gaze to Alex, and then back to Delta. He weighed his options. He could choose to ignore Delta and continue stalk Alex till the sun comes up. OR he could give Delta all the attention that she wanted. This option probably won't endear him to Alex, but who cares...she has 'baby Thor'. Plus, Delta looked like she could provide Neal the sweet 'release' he oh so needed at the moment. Neal smiled mischievously at the tempting thought. He could just as easily opt for the cheap lay.

He shook his head and stared into Delta's eyes for a moment before he spoke.  _"Well, Miss Delta Darrow, I hope I'm not being too rude, but can you do us BOTH a favor? Go back to the bar and keep watching."_  he answered. He watched her as she dejectedly walked away.

After she disappeared, Neal went back to observing Alex, who now had her back against a palm tree while Colin kissed her mouth fervently. His temper quickly rose when he saw Alex return Colin's kisses with almost equal fervor. Again, Neal was faced with options. He could choose to go over there, pull Colin off of Alex and pummel the man's face with his fists...but that's just not his style.

Instead, Neal chose the other option. He took a last few gulps of what was left of his beer. He gave Alex and Colin one last look, and then he walked away. He walked away before the scene got too painful for him to watch. He walked and walked until he reached the end of the beach, and just lied down on the sand. He looked up at the night sky, admiring the moon and the stars. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the waves lull him to sleep.

* * *

Neal woke up to a start when he felt his body suddenly got wet. The tide had rose while he slept on the beach, and he was now drenched with the ocean's water. He shook his head and laughed. This was definitely NOT one of his lucky nights. He rubbed his face vigorously and got up to his feet. With that, he decided to turn around and walk back to Lolana's.

His nap must have been a lot longer that he thought. The party was over once he got back. The bonfire was out, the portable bar was not in sight, the patrons have left. He did hear music coming from inside the Tiki Lounge. He walked closer as the music got louder and he heard some sort of commotion coming from inside.

" _Man, I really got going, started picking up speed_ _  
_ _I hit 135 and I had everything that I'd need_ _  
_ _Started shaking bad, fearing for my life_ _  
_ _I let go of the wheel and I flew into the night."_ _  
_  
 _"God bless the child, God bless his soul_ _  
G_ _od perish the idea that he will die before he's old_ _  
G_ _otta be cool, you gotta behave_ _  
_ _M_ _an, there'll be time for that when I'm lying in my grave."_ _  
_  
 _"You gotta watch your step, or you gonna lose your way_ _  
_ _Take heed of your elders, do everything they say_ _  
_ _Yeah, I gotta watch out for the man who tolls the bells_ _  
_ _But if I fear for the devil and I fear for myself then I'm gonna have to fear for everybody else."_

Neal took a peek inside from the door's little glass window. He smiled at the sight that beheld him. It was Alex singing along to Steve Wynn's 'Amphetamine'... the music coming from the jukebox. He chuckled softly as he watched her rock out, with a broom stick in her hand that doubled as an makeshift guitar and microphone.

" _I am gonna fly_ _  
_ _I am gonna live_ _  
_ _until the day I die."_ _  
_  
 _"_ _I ain't got time_ _  
_ _to wonder why_ _  
_ _but I'm gonna live_ _  
_ _to the day I die."_

_"_ _I'm gonna make my way_ _  
_ _up to the sky_ _  
_ _I am gonna live_

_until the day I die."_

Alex wailed into her improvised microphone.

Neal laughed softly after Alex was done with her song. He pressed his forehead on the door and tapped his index finger on the glass to get her attention. Alex looked up and was surprised to see him.

" _How long have you been standing there?"_  she asked as she walked towards the door.

" _Long enough."_  Neal snickered.

" _I'm tired, Caffrey. What do you want?"_  Alex asked irritatedly.

" _It's late at night and I'm standing outside a pub, what the hell do you think I want? I want a freakin' drink!"_ he answered brashly. He saw the annoyed look on her face.  _"Let me in, Alex."_ he pleaded in a softer tone.

She hesitated for a moment, but opened the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, and then followed Alex to the bar. She stared at Neal and saw his disheveled appearance.

" _What happened to you?"_  she asked.

" _I fell asleep at the beach during high tide."_  Neal answered.

Alex laughed out loud when she heard this. She went behind the bar and got a towel. She walked towards him and started wiping his face and his hair.

" _I'm starting to think that paradise doesn't exactly suit you, Caffrey."_  she said, as she continued to brush the wet sand off of him.

" _I'm not ready to give up on it just yet."_  Neal replied. He caught her hand and gently kissed her palm.

Alex slowly pulled her hand away and went back behind the bar.  _"What's your poison tonight?"_  she asked him.

" _Whatever you're drinking."_  he answered.

Alex placed a shot glass in front of him, along with a bowl of sliced lemons and a salt shaker.  _"Tequila."_  she said, as she poured him a shot.

Together, they licked some salt off their hand, drank a shot of tequila, and then quickly bit a lemon wedge. They both banged their fists on the bar as the drink slowly burn down their throats.

Neal spoke first.  _"You know what this reminds me of?"_  he asked. Alex shook her head.  _"The Mexican Riviera."_  he said.  _"Years ago, just months after we met...when we did our celebratory body shots after that job we did in Zihuatanejo."_ he reminisced.

" _I am drawing a blank...I don't remember that at all."_  Alex teased.

" _Oh, really? You want a reenactment? Cause I'm game if you are, Hunter!"_  Neal said playfully. She just shook her head and smiled.  _"It's nice to see you smiling again."_  he told her.  _"You have a beautiful smile."_  he commented. He noticed her smile slowly disappear.  _"And of course, I say something to chase the smile away."_  he said frustratedly.

" _Neal..."_  she started to say something, but decided against it.

" _Things weren't always bad between us, Alex."_ Neal reminded her.

" _No...but it only takes one bad memory to make you forget about the good ones."_  Alex replied.

There was another long, awkward pause. Neal sighed and changed the subject.  _"So...where is Colin?"_  he asked.

" _I sent him packing. I'm flying solo tonight...hopefully not sober"_  Alex replied, slamming own another shot.

Neal's face lit up with renewed hope.  _"Really? Mr. Henry is no more? What happened?"_ he pressed, as he tried to hide his amusement.

" _Well, he sort of let it slip that he has a girlfriend in Australia."_  she answered.

" _That rat bastard."_  Neal said flatly.

" _You should know...you're like one of the biggest bastards I know."_  she replied.

" _OUCH! That hurt."_  he feigned offense.

" _Sorry."_ she apologized. She rested her head and her palms at the bar.  _"I'm tired, Caffrey."_ she told him.

Neal gently touched her head, his fingers massaging her scalp. He heard her moan softly.  _"You're going to be just fine."_  he assured her.

" _You know what the kicker is? He had the gall to ask me for a 'farewell fuck' before he left!"_ she revealed. She looked at Neal.  _"You're a guy..."_  she said.

" _Last time I checked, yes I am."_  he quipped.

" _Would you ask your ex for break up sex?"_  she asked. Neal didn't answer immediately.  _"Well?"_  she pressed.

" _I'm thinking."_  he said.

She drummed her fingers impatiently on the bar.  _"Caffrey?"_  she asked, still waiting for his answer.

" _Still thinking."_  Neal replied. He laughed at her annoyance.  _"Look, Alex...what do you want me to say?"_  he asked her.

" _That men are crap! You people are the human race's only failed gender! That, and your stupid penises have no direct connection to your brains."_  she vented.

" _Feel better?"_  he asked her.

" _To tell you the truth...I'm not even that upset about it. Notice the lack of tears. I just want revenge. What does that say about me?"_  she asked Neal.

" _It says that you know your worth and that 'baby Thor' is not worth a single drop of your tears."_  Neal replied.

" _Baby Thor? You've been talking to Charlie."_  she noticed.

" _Oh, yeah...he and I are tight now. We're pals!"_  Neal told her.

" _He trust you now?"_  Alex asked.  _"Can I trust you with something?"_  she pulled him closer.  _"I did something very naughty."_  she whispered into his ear.

" _What is that?"_  he inquired, raising his eyebrow.

" _I may have told a little lie and tipped Customs off about Colin. They're probably giving him a full body cavity search right this very moment."_  she confessed, her tone filled with glee.

" _That wasn't very nice."_  he told her.

" _I'm NOT nice."_  she reminded him.

" _Wow...I am so glad that you like me enough that I managed to stay in your good graces through the years we've known each other."_  Neal said.

" _I figured I've put you through enough hell already."_ she told him, her tone more somber.

" _What do you mean?"_  Neal asked.

" _Oh, come on, Caffrey! Don't tell me it's never occurred to you! I'm the reason why your life is such a mess! I am cursed, and you are cursed by association."_  she said. Neal looked at her, confused. " _If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have known about the music box. My life's quest cost you yours!"_  she added.

" _You're not making any sense, Alex!"_  he told her.

" _I am making perfect sense!"_  she yelled.  _"Don't you see, Caffrey? If I hadn't told you about the damn music box, your life wouldn't be in such a mess. Your beloved Kate would still be alive! She would have never left you. You probably wouldn't have served time in prison. You'd be married by now, with children and a house with a white picket fence in the suburbs! No...wait! Actually, you'd be living in a villa in_ _Côte d'Azur_ _, if I remember correctly."_ She stared into Neal's eyes.  _"I took everything away from you-"_  she said.

" _STOP IT!"_  Neal interrupted her.  _"You can't make me hate you, so don't even try!"_  he told her sternly.  _"I take full responsibility for everything I have done in my life, and for all it's consequences. I don't blame you for anything."_ He held her face and gently lifted it up.  _"You hear me? MY mess was not your fault."_ he reassured her.

" _I'm tired, Caffrey."_  she told him again. She pulled away from him.

" _So you keep saying."_  he noticed.  _"What exactly is it that you're so tired of, Alex?"_ he asked.

" _I'm tired of being angry...at myself, at the world, at everyone. I have so much anger in me."_  she confessed.

" _So, quit being angry."_  Neal told her.

" _It's not that easy."_  she scoffed.

" _Sure it is. Just let the good memories wash away the bad ones."_  he advised her.  _"What else?"_  he asked her.

" _I'm tired of running away."_  she answered.  _"There have been far too many good things in my life that I've ran away from..."_  she let her voice trail off.

" _Then, stop running away."_  he told her.  _"Sometimes, staying can be a lot_ _more rewarding."_ he added.

Alex stared at him.  _"You have had such a shitty life this past several years, Caffrey. How is it that you can still stay so positive?"_  she wondered.

" _I try to eat right."_  Neal replied. They both laughed.  _"Keep smiling, Alex. Don't ever lose that smile."_  he told her.

There was another awkward pause. Alex broke the silence.  _"You know what else I'm tired of? Kissing frogs." s_ he told Neal.

" _Kissing frogs?"_  he asked curiously.

" _Yes. I have been kissing frogs since I was 13 years old. I'm tired...where is my prince?"_  she asked.

Neal chuckled.  _"Well, Alex, seeing as I am one of those frogs you've kissed in the past, I don't really know how to answer that."_ he replied.

" _He doesn't even need to be a crown prince. I'd settle for a duke."_  she said.

" _Alex, you don't need a prince. You don't need a duke."_ Neal told her.  _"You need a man...who will fight for your honor."_  he said with a mischievous smile.  _"You need a hero-"_ he continued before Alex threw a lemon wedge at his face.

" _Seriously? I pour my heart out to you and you give me Peter Freakin' Cetera!"_  she said in mocked anger.

" _Yes...you know why? Because Peter Freakin' Cetera knows what he's talking about. What...you've never watched The Karate Kid?"_ he asked playfully.

" _Shut up!"_ she told him. Her tone was brash but she had a smile on her face.

Neal laughed. He walked over to the jukebox.  _"Let's see...do you have Peter_ _Cetera in here?"_  he asked.

" _God, I hope not!"_ she answered.

Neal looked at the song selection on the machine. His smile grew wider.  _"Hah!"_ he shouted triumphantly.  _"I found it!"_  he told her. He walked over behind the bar and pulled on Alex's hand.

" _What are you doing?"_  she asked.

" _Dance with me, Alex. If it helps, you can pretend that I'm a prince. I have posed as one before, as you may well know."_  he said to her.

" _I am NOT dancing with you...especially if it's to 'Glory of Love', Caffrey!"_  she protested.

" _It's not 'Glory of Love'."_ Neal assured her.  _"I've found our song."_ he told her.

" _We don't have a song."_  Alex reminded him.

" _We do now. From this moment on, this will be OUR song. I decree it!"_  Neal told her.

He went over to the jukebox, put some coins in it, and pushed a few buttons. He then held out his hand for Alex to take. She obliged and reluctantly took it. He led her to the floor and twirled her around before pulling her close to him. Then the music began to play. He wrapped her arms around his neck and then slid his hands down and let it rest at the small of her back.

" _All of these lines across my face  
Tell you the story of who I am.  
So many stories of where I've been  
And how I got to where I am.  
But these stories don't mean anything  
When you've got no one to tell them to.  
It's true...I was made for you."_

Alex held her breath as she listened to the song. She looked into Neal's eyes as he swayed both their bodies to the music.

_"_ _I climbed across the mountain tops_ _  
_ _Swam all across the ocean blue_ _  
_ _I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules_ _  
_ _But baby I broke them all for you."_ _  
"_ _Because even when I was flat broke_ _  
_ _You made me feel like a million bucks_ _  
_ _You do_ _  
_ _I was made for you."_

Neal smiled at her as he held on tighter around her waist, afraid that she might pull away from him. He leaned closer, relishing her scent. She smelled of the ocean and gardenia.

" _You see the smile that's on my mouth  
It's hiding the words that don't come out  
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed  
They don't know my head is a mess."_

Alex couldn't bear to stare into Neal's eyes anymore. She rested her head on Neal's shoulders. He could feel the moisture of her tears dampen his shirt. They had stopped dancing.

" _No, they don't know who I really am  
And they don't know what  
I've been through like you do  
And I was made for you..."_

Neal lifted her head up and cupped her face with both hands. His thumbs wiped her tears away. He leaned closer and kissed both her eyelids...and then her nose...and then her cheeks...before finally placing a firm, open-mouthed kiss on her lips.

" _All of these lines across my face  
Tell you the story of who I am  
So many stories of where I've been  
And how I got to where I am  
But these stories don't mean anything  
When you've got no one to tell them to  
It's true...I was made for you."_

The music has stopped, but Neal continued to kiss her fervently. The kiss escalated with great intensity and passion. It became more intimate when Neal held her tighter, his tongue probing the depths of her mouth. He heard Alex moan and felt her start to pull away, but he would not allow her.

He had one arm wrapped around her waist, the other one had a firm hold of the back of her head, allowing her no escape. Alex moaned louder when Neal sucked on her tongue, savoring all her flavor. Neal didn't want to let her go, with fear that she might run away from him.

Alex's head was spinning from all the pleasure she was feeling. The intensity of Neal's kisses have made her weak in the knees. She felt that her chest was about to explode. Just when she thought she was running out of air, he breathed into her and revived her.

" _Mmmm."_  she moaned into his mouth.  _"Caffrey..."_ she managed to whisper in between kisses.

Neal responded by pulling her tighter and deepening his kisses. Never had she been kissed in that manner before...not by any man. Finally, with all the strength that was left of her, Alex managed to press her palms against his chest. Gasping for air, she stared passionately into his eyes.

" _Take me to bed, or lose me forever."_  she told him, once she regained the use of her tongue.

Neal's face lit up.  _"As you wish."_  he replied with a smile.

With one swift move, he swept her off her feet and into his arms, and carried her off to take her to bed.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER SIX** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES:
> 
> *The first song was "Amphetamine" by Steve Wynn and the Miracle Three.
> 
> *The song "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera was one of the songs from The Karate Kid soundtrack.
> 
> *The song that Neal and Alex danced to was "The Story" by Brandi Carlile.
> 
> *Many thanks for taking time to read this chapter. I hope you liked this installment of the story. I'll try to write faster next time.


	7. Scars

**WARNING**  : Some nudity and adult content. Nothing graphic though. Still rated T...for now.

* * *

Neal woke up dreamily, his naked body all tangled up into the sleeping figure next to him, the sheets barely covering the both of them. The scent of both their hunger and fulfillment still lingered in the air. He remembered the night all too well, when he had Alex in his bed, twisting and writhing in a naked sweat, as he got himself fully reacquainted with her body.

He smiled as he recalled every detail of last night's passion...the pleasure was almost an overload to all five senses. The look of lustful longing when he stared deeply into her eyes. The sweet scent of Alex's fevered skin. The scrumptious taste when he devoured her luscious body. The electrifying sensation of being inside her. Her moans of ecstasy as he thrust himself inside every inch of her in an unrelenting pace. The way she screamed his name after every climax. Oh, yes...every detail of that night was committed to memory. It was indeed a night that they won't soon forget.

Neal turned to his side and feasted his eyes upon Alex's naked body, drinking in the delectable sight of her every curve. His hands gently explored her body. His fingers lightly traced the thin scar in the middle of her left thigh. He hissed softly when he found another one, a scar of what seems to be from a healed knife wound, on the base of her rib cage. He found another one that made him curious, a small round scar tissue barely visible, right above her heart.

Neal knew that Alex wasn't perfect...she never claimed to be. Those are scars were proof of that, for they were unavoidable in their line of [work](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/7/Almost_Paradise) no matter how careful you were. But those scars do not detract from her or make her seem less impressive. Quite the contrary, those scars added to her...it made her real. It made her stronger. It made her even more admirable in his eyes. Her scars made her even more beautiful. Because scars do not form on the dying. Those scars meant that she's a survivor, no matter what life throws at her.

He continued to observe the flawed beauty before him. His gaze stopped and his mood darkened as he saw another scar. Neal was familiar with this particular scar. The scar that went from her left shoulder down to her arm, only visible upon closer inspection. That scar was a constant reminder of that fateful night in Copenhagen, when he and Alex made that jump off the palace gate house. Neal squeezed his eyes shut and tried to shake off the painful memory. He opened his eyes once more and stared tenderly at Alex's sleeping form. He leaned in and kissed the scar lightly. Alex moaned and stirred slightly, but didn't wake up.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, as he enjoyed the warm weight of her naked body lightly pressed against his. She had an innocent look upon her face, even after all that she had gone through in life. He continued to stare at her as she slept, a little bit more curious about the expression she wore. Her eyebrows were furrowed just the tiniest bit, as if she was worried about something. Her lips were pressed together, curving slightly every now and then, as if she were trying to smile in her sleep.

 _Are you dreaming of me , Alex?_  Neal thought with an impish grin.

Neal moved closer and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. Alex moaned again. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Neal's handsome face, and gave him a languid smile. Neal returned her smile, as he brought his hand to her face and gave it a tender caress.

" _Good morning."_ he greeted her.

Alex slowly observed her surroundings, as if trying to remember where she was and figure out what happened to her. Her eyes widened when reality dawned on her and she quickly sat up on the bed.  _"Oh shit!"_  she exclaimed.

" _Okay...not the reaction I was expecting."_  Neal replied, as he sat up on the bed as well. His eyebrows furrowed, worried that Alex may have some regrets over what happened between the two of them.  _"Alex?"_  he said questioningly.

She looked at him and grabbed his face with both hands. He was relieved when she brought her face closed to his and kissed him passionately on the lips. The kiss was quick and urgent though, as she pulled away in a hurry and stood up from the bed.

" _I have to go."_  she announced. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet for a moment.  _"Christ, I can't even walk right!"_  she said.

Neal grinned mischievously.  _"Yeah...as I recall, things got a little too wild last night."_  he told her, his eyebrows wiggling. He beamed with pride as his gaze fell on the trail of bite marks on her breasts to her belly and the bruises on her inner thighs.

" _Your behavior was not very gentlemanly, Mr. Caffrey."_ Alex told him in a mocked chastising tone.

" _Yeah, well, you were very unladylike yourself, Miss Hunter."_  he replied, his grin grew wider.

Alex recognized her own work as she noticed the scratch and claw marks that went from Neal's shoulders to his arms, as well as the trail of love bites she left on his neck and chest. She bit her lower lip as she suppressed a sheepish grin. Neal moved quickly and sat on the side of the bed. He grabbed her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She giggled as he peppered her stomach with open-mouthed kisses. She moaned when he darted his tongue in and out of her navel.

" _Come back to bed...I'll make you walk wrong for a week."_ he pledged as he tried to ease her back to his bed.

Alex was quick to pull away from him though. She waved her index finger playfully at him and shook her head.  _"No."_  she said.  _"I told you, I have to go."_  she added.

" _Just blow it off, whatever it is. We can just stay in bed naked, talk about our scars."_  he implied.

" _You're flawless, Caffrey. You have no scars."_  she replied.

" _None that you can see."_  he said.

Alex knew what he was implying. It's the scars that can't be seen that takes the longest to heal. Neal doesn't want to just have sex. He wants a serious conversation about the two of them...about their past...about what the future holds for them, if there even is a future for the two of them. Always a true romantic at heart.

She leaned closer to him and gave him a gentle kiss.  _"We'll have more time when I get back."_  she promised. She quickly turned away and went in search of her clothing. When she couldn't find them, she looked back to Neal.  _"Where are my clothes?"_  she asked him.

" _I threw them away."_  Neal answered.  _"I like you better when you're naked. You look great with clothes on...you look AMAZING when you're naked."_  he smirked impishly.

" _Give me my clothes back!"_  she demanded.  _"Seriously, Caffrey, I have to go. I have a flight that leaves in less than a few fours and I barely have enough time to go back to my place, have a quick shower and grab my gear."_ she added.

" _Where are you going?"_  he asked her.

" _We have a scheduled deep-sea dive in the French Atlantic Coast. It's a recovery expedition of a cargo steamship that sank back in the early 1900's."_  she told him.  _"Now give me my clothes back!"_  she insisted.

Neal was too caught up on his amusement over Alex's annoyance, that they both didn't notice the door opening and Mozzie walking into the bedroom. Neal stared helplessly, frozen in shock.

" _Neal, we need to-"_  Mozzie began to say. He stopped dead in tracks and his jaw dropped when he saw Alex naked before his very eyes. He yelped as he quickly turned his back and covered his eyes with his hands.

Alex shriek at the same time and managed to grab the sheets to try and cover up her naked body. She stumbled and tripped over her feet and fell flat on her back down to the floor.

" _I didn't see anything, I swear!"_  Mozzie said.  _"Okay, that's a lie...I saw practically everything! But don't worry, I think you have a fantastic body!"_ he told her, his back still turned and his hand still covering his eyes.

" _Mozzie, get the hell out!"_  Neal yelled angrily.

" _Yes, PLEASE get out, Moz!"_  Alex pleaded, still lying on the floor.

Mozzie walked towards the door and ran into a wall. He took his hands off his eyes and grabbed the door knob and quickly exited the room. Neal growled angrily. His gaze moved from the door, back to Alex, who was still on the floor. The fingers of her one hand clutched tightly at the sheets as if she was hanging on to it for dear life, while her other hand covered her eyes. Her shoulders were shaking, Neal thought that she was crying. She began to laugh hysterically. She looked at Neal, more amused than upset.

" _Oh my God! That was so embarrassing!"_ she told him in between short bursts of laughter.

Neal stared at her while he helped her back to her feet. He didn't think it was possible, but Alex looked even more beautiful when she laughed like that. His anger slowly dissipated as he marveled at her beauty. He pulled her slowly to him and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

" _Now can I have my clothes back?"_  she asked him once they pulled away.  _"Otherwise, I'll have to walk out of here naked...and I'm fairly certain that Mozzie_ _is still in the living room."_ she told Neal.

" _Actually, I'm right here outside the bedroom."_ Mozzie revealed, clearly listening through the door.

" _Mozzie!"_  Neal yelled again.

" _Alright, alright! I'm going!"_  Mozzie replied. They soon heard his footsteps as he walked away.

Alex returned her gaze to Neal.  _"I don't care."_  she told him.  _"I'm telling you, I have no problem walking out of this room stark naked, Caffrey. After all, Mozzie already saw me in the buff, and he happens to think that I have a fantastic body, so I-"_  she said before Neal interrupted her with another kiss.

Neal then turned away from her and bent over, retrieving her dress from under the bed. He handed it over to her. Alex took it from him. She waited, her eyebrow arched, as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"" _What?"_  Neal asked, feigning innocence.

" _My panties?"_ Alex said.

Neal grumbled and went back to the bed. He reached under his pillow and produced Alex's underwear. He grinned sexily as he twirled her lace tanga around his finger. Alex snatched it from him and put them on. Neal just watched as she put her clothes back on. She was having trouble with the zipper of her dress.

" _A little help, please."_  Alex said frustratedly.

" _I will gladly help you take your clothes off...but I will play NO part in dressing you."_  Neal replied.

" _Pretty please?"_  she said in a phony distressed-damsel tone, batting her eyelashes at him.

Neal sighed and helped her zip up her dress.  _"This is so wrong...I'd rather have you naked."_  Neal told her. He kissed her lightly on her bare shoulders.

His hands soon explored her body. One arm wrapped around her chest from behind. Alex moaned as his hands caressed her breasts through the fabric of her dress. His other hand traveled downwards, lifting the hem of her dress. She whimpered as his strong fingers massaged that sensitive area in between her thighs.

" _You don't play fair, Caffrey!"_  she murmured before reluctantly pulling away.

" _Come on, Alex."_  he urged her.  _"Just one more time before you leave. I promise I'll be quick."_  he tried convincing her.

" _We both know that you're not a one-minute man, Neal."_  she said, quickly dodging his grasp.

She went towards the nightstand and retrieved one of her shoe and by the armoire to get the other shoe, and quickly put them on. She turned around and headed for the door, when Neal's voice stopped her.

" _Are you really going to leave me here so unsatisfied?"_  he asked in a pleading tone, as he sat on the bed.

She turned around to face him again.  _God! It should be a crime to look that gorgeous!_ Alex thought. She strode back to him and kissed him hungrily.  _"Don't worry...I'll be back before you miss me."_  she muttered in between kisses.

Neal groaned when she pulled away from him yet again.  _"Too late...I already miss you."_  he told her.

She smiled at him, before heading towards the door. She turned around and gave him one last look.  _"Oh, and by the way, Caffrey...I like you better when you're naked too!"_ she said in a sing-song voice. She gave him a wink and blew him a kiss. With that, she turned around and exited the room.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER SEVEN** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *Short chapter, I know. Gonna try a scene-by-scene chapter, see how it works out. Hoping to write more soon.
> 
> *Alex doesn't really come off as the shy and prudish type, so her reaction to Mozzie seeing her naked shouldn't be surprising. Kinda imagined she'd just laugh it off instead of freaking out and getting angry. As for the scars...hopefully will explore on that on future chapter.
> 
> *Please feel free to leave reviews and kudos if you like the story/chapter. Remember that these things are tough to write and us writers appreciate kind words! ;)


	8. Con Man Cupid

With Alex being out of town, Neal kept mostly to himself over the next few days. Apart from his early morning run and a few occasional swims, he just stayed at the beach house most of the time. He spent most of his time at his art studio. With his new-found inspiration, he had a renewed strength to [work](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/8/Almost_Paradise) on another art project. He spent most of his restless days and sleepless nights working almost maniacally on a new piece...only stopping for a meal, a short rest and a quick shower.

It had been a few days since he's heard from his friend, Mozzie decided it was time he paid Neal a visit. Together with Lima, he went to Neal's place and found him in his art studio. There he was half-naked and barefoot, with small pieces of clay stuck to his disheveled hair, dried plaster staining his arms, torso and face, which was sporting days worth of scruffy beard.

Neal barely noticed them when they came in. He was too busy putting the finishing touches to his new masterpiece. It was a sculpture of a young man with the wings of an angel and armed with a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, caught in tender moment with a beautiful young woman with butterfly wings. It was a clay plaster replica of Antonio Canova's marble statue of  _Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss_ , in which Cupid, the god of desire, affection and erotic love, lifts his beloved Psyche, a mortal who later became the goddess of the soul, in a loving embrace, his face close to hers. Psyche lets herself sink slowly backwards, languorously taking her lover's head between her hands.

Mozzie cleared his throat. _"I see you have your talent back."_  he observed, regarding the statue with a critical eye.

" _Pretty, Blue."_  Lima commented, although Mozzie wasn't so sure whether the remark was about the sculpture, or Neal's half-naked body.

" _Thanks. You don't think it's too presumptuous?"_  Neal asked.

" _You mean about the statue representing you as the god of desire and Alex as the woman you revived with a kiss? Nah! Not presumptuous at all."_  Mozzie replied sarcastically.

" _Didn't think so."_  Neal said with a suppressed laugh.

" _So...the two of you are back together."_  Lima said questioningly

" _Was there ever any doubt that we'd find a way back to each other?"_  Neal asked her.

" _Hmmm...I don't know, Blue. You've been apart for so long. Too much history to start over...a lot of pain between the two of you to just pick up where you left off. She just broke up with Colin, then she jumps into bed with you? I'm just saying...are you two both on the same page? You maybe thinking of the grand romantic scenario here, but what if she was just scratching an itch?"_  Lima tried to point out.

" _Lima..."_  Neal shook his head.  _"Don't be a dream-killer, baby."_  he told her.  _"I understand what you're saying, but believe me, I am not Alex's rebound guy. What she and I have is for real this time."_  he added.

" _Then, I'm happy for you both."_  Lima said.

" _Now that that's all settled, why don't you come with us to Lolana's?"_  Mozzie invited him.  _"It will do you some good to get out of here for a while. When was the last time you've had a hot meal? You've been cooped up in here for days."_  he told his friend.

" _Days?"_  Neal asked. He went over to check his cellphone.

" _You seriously have no idea what day it is, do you?"_  Mozzie asked him, shaking his head.

" _In case you failed to notice, Moz, I've been busy. Let me refer you back to that masterpiece of a statue."_  Neal replied, pointing to his sculpture. He went back to checking his phone.  _"No messages from Alex."_  he said worriedly.

" _No messages at all? No text, no voice mail? You don't find that weird?"_  Lima asked.

" _Lima..."_ Mozzie said, his index finger touching his lip.

" _What?"_ she asked him. She turned have to Neal.  _"Have you seen YOU? You're pretty hot. All I'm saying is that if you were mine, I won't be off God knows where digging up some treasure! Instead, I'd have you chained to my bed in my room and have my way with you all the time. Priorities...you know?"_ she pointed out as she gave Neal a flirtatious wink.

" _Stop that."_  Mozzie warned.

" _I'm just undressing him with my eyes, darling dearest. At least I haven't seen him in all his naked glory."_  Lima said playfully.

" _She has a point there, Moz."_  Neal chuckled.

" _That was an accident! I didn't plan on seeing Alex naked!"_  Mozzie defended himself.

" _Whatever."_  Lima faced Neal.  _"If you ever want some 'payback', you know where to find me."_ she told him, before turning away. She stopped next to Mozzie and kissed him on the cheek, then headed towards the door.

" _She's quite a handful, isn't she?"_  Neal asked his friend.

" _You have no idea."_  Mozzie replied. He looked at Neal, who had his phone to his ear.

" _She's not answering."_  Neal said after a brief pause.

" _I'm sure she's fine."_  Mozzie reassured him after seeing the worried look on his face.

" _Yeah..."_  Neal replied softly.

" _You know what you need? You need a drink. Let's go to the Tiki Bar...my treat."_  Mozzie invited him.

" _You go ahead...I'm not really in the mood to socialize, Moz."_  Neal told him.

" _Oh, come on! You're not seriously thinking of what Lima said, are you?"_  Mozzie inquired.

" _No! I don't want to see your girlfriend naked, no matter how hot she is!"_  Neal replied.

" _I meant what she said about you and Alex."_  Mozzie clarified.

Neal paused briefly be fore he spoke again.  _"Where is she, Moz?"_  he asked.

" _Didn't you say that she's in the French Atlantic Coast-"_  Mozzie replied before he was interrupted.

" _She should be here...with ME."_  Neal said, Lima's earlier remarks echoing inside his head.

Mozzie raised an eyebrow.  _"Seems like Cupid pierced himself with his own arrow."_  he told his friend.  _"Alex really crept her way into your heart this time, huh?"_  he teased.

Neal stared a Mozzie in stunned silence.  _"I...I-"_ he stammered.

" _Don't worry. I won't tell her how you feel about her. That's your job."_  Mozzie said.  _"I will, however, must insist on that drink."_  he continued. He looked at his friend, who just stood there quietly.  _"Well? Go on... chop chop! Get yourself all gussied up, and put a shirt on will you? You're making me feel a little_ _insecure here."_  he joked.  _"Hurry up now. I am parched. Papa needs some vino!"_  he demanded, as he watched Neal head to his room to get cleaned up.

* * *

Neal finally got himself tidied up, and reluctantly, he joined Mozzie and went on their way to Lolana's.

" _Let's go! Quit dragging your feet."_  Mozzie hurried him.

 _"We're almost there, Moz. What's the big rush?_ " he asked. _"I didn't even want to go."_  Neal pointed out.

 _"Well, you needed to go out."_  Mozzie said. _"Quite frankly, Neal, I'm worried about you."_  he told him.

 _"Worried? Why?"_  Neal asked him.

 _"Because...you really have no idea what today is!"_  Mozzie answered.

 _"What is so important about today? It's the day after yesterday. Just another ordinary day."_  Neal said, as they finally reached the Tiki Bar.

Mozzie shook his head as he opened the door for him. Neal went ahead and entered before him. What he witnessed caught him off guard.

 _"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"_  Neal was greeted by the people inside the bar.

 _"Well, as you can see, this is NO ordinary day. Happy Birthday, mon frère."_  Mozzie said, patting him on the back before joining the rest of the group.

Neal couldn't believe that he forgot his own birthday. After everything that's been gong on recently, no one can really blame him. He quickly scanned the crowd. He saw Lima, who was grinning at him sheepishly; Charlie, who raised a bottle in toast; Lastri with the kids from the Children's Village led by Kersen and Merpati, who gave him big hugs; and a few acquaintances he made since he got there on the island, led by Tango. Finally, he saw that one person he wanted to see the most. His blue eyes locked on to Alex's brown ones, and they both smiled at the same time. Neal was about to walk towards her, when he was Lima's voice broke into his thoughts.

" _Time for the birthday cake!"_  Lima announced, followed by the screams of delight from the children, as she pushed the cart that carried a huge white chocolate cake.

While everyone sang "Happy Birthday", Neal didn't take his eyes off of Alex. He then closed his eyes and made a wish, before blowing out the candles.

Afterward, his multiple attempts to talk to Alex was thwarted time and time again by friends and guests who wished him birthday greetings and gave him gifts. Neal sighed in frustration. It was as if the world was conspiring to keep him from being happy. He then felt a tap on his back.

" _Got a minute?"_  Mozzie asked excitedly, as he handed him a gift wrapped in golden paper.  _"Go ahead, open my present first."_  he urged Neal.

Neal did as told and unwrapped the gift.  _"A Tale of Two Cities."_  Neal said with a smile.

" _Yes. First edition, second issue. Gilded, and half-leather. Took me a while to find it, but I did!"_  Mozzie beamed with pride.

Neal chuckled at his friends excitement. It was a rare find indeed. Must have cost Mozzie at least $4,000.  _"Thank you, Moz!"_  he said with sincerity.

Moments later, Alex joined them.  _"Opening presents already, Caffrey?"_  she asked.  _"Here you go...you can open this one too."_ she handed him a red box.

" _Pretty hard to top mine...just saying."_  Mozzie commented.

" _We'll see."_  Alex replied nonchalantly, as they both watched Neal open her present.

Neal found a object inside wrapped in black velvet cloth. He unwrapped it and found a bottle of wine. He heard Mozzie's loud gasp. It wasn't just any ordinary bottle of wine. It was a vintage 1891 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, one of the rarest, most expensive wines in the world, valued at almost $8,000 per bottle.

" _Wh-Where did you get THAT?"_  Mozzie inquired. He was almost drooling.

" _Oh...it was part of the cargo from the French steamship we salvaged a few days ago, the SS Bordeaux."_ Alex answered. She turned to face Neal again.  _"I figured you might like it since you have great taste when it comes to fine wine."_  she told him.

" _Like it? I love it!"_  Neal replied.  _"Thank you, Alex!"_  he said.

" _Happy Birthday, Neal."_  she greeted him.

She leaned closer and gave him a quick peck in the cheek. Neal caught her before she pulled away and gave her a long, lingering, open-mouthed kiss. He didn't stop till he heard Mozzie clearing his throat.

" _I'll see you later?"_  Neal asked her, looking into her eyes, as he finally pulled away from their kiss.

" _Sure."_ Alex answered, before slowly walking away to join Lima in distributing the cake.

Neal paused and looked around him. He was surrounded by old friends and new-found ones. He was free. He was happy. But somehow, it all felt incomplete. He sighed softly.

" _Uh oh...I know that look."_ Mozzie said.  _"You're thinking of him, aren't you?"_  he asked.

" _I'm thinking of New York...of everything and everyone I've left behind._  June, Elizabeth-" Neal said before Mozzie interrupted him.

" _But mostly, you're thinking of him...the Suit."_  Mozzie said flatly.

" _Yes...I was thinking of Peter."_  Neal admitted.

" _And?"_ Mozzie pressed.

" _And...nothing."_ Neal replied. He looked at Mozzie straight in the eye.  _"He's an FBI agent...I'm a con man. There were only a few ways this could have ended."_  he continued. Mozzie nodded. He held out the bottle of wine.  _"Listen, I'm going to take this back to my place before you're unable to resist the urge to open it and drink it for yourself. I'll be right back."_  he promised, before taking his leave.

* * *

Neal took Alex and Mozzie's gifts as well as the other presents, back to his place. In reality, it was just an excuse to get away from the crowd and to walk on the beach to clear his head. Neal thought of making a phone call to Peter, just to let him know that he was alright, but decided against it. It would endanger both his and Mozzie's safety, as well as Peter's career.

He sighed as he continued his walk back to Lolana's. He knew what he wanted. He wanted the good life...he always dreamed of the good life. He had a beachfront villa on an exotic island, a blooming romance with a beautiful woman, a loyal best friend, and all the money he could probably spent in one lifetime. This was as good as it gets. This was the best of times.

He's living the dream...and now what? What does he do now? This island paradise, as great as it was, was too serene for him. He missed the action. He missed New York's culture and diversity. He missed the cases he worked on with the FBI. He missed Peter Burke. But that's a life he could never go back to. That's when he realized that this was also the worst of times for him.

He shook his head and went back inside the Tiki Bar. Inside, he looked around to take stock on what he has in his life right now. He saw the smiling faces of the happy kids from the Children's Village. He saw Mozzie, his best friend, happily dancing with Lima. His eyes roamed further, in search of Alex, but couldn't find her. He saw Charlie mingling with the other guests, and waved to catch his attention.

" _Have you seen Alex?"_  Neal asked the older man.

Charlie looked around in search of her.  _"That's funny. I was just talking to her a while ago."_ he said.  _"I don't know where she went. It's like she just disappeared."_  he told Neal, before walking away.

 _Disappeared._  Charlie's voice echoed inside his head. He couldn't afford to have Alex disappear from his life again. He already lost too many people that he cared about. He wasn't about to lose her as well.

He sighed and shook his head.  _Where did you run off to now, Alex?_  Neal asked himself.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER EIGHT** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *This chapter is a birthday present to one of my faithful readers, Meenakshi Singla. Happy Birthday! I appreciate all the support and the words of encouragement.
> 
> *Antonio Canova's statue "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" seems like something Neal would want to sculpt.
> 
> *Many thanks to those who read and reviewed the previous chapter. Hope you like this one as well.


	9. Celebration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING : Contains some situations of an adult nature. Nothing graphic, but read at your own discretion.

With great determination, Neal set out to find Alex. He asked everyone at the party where she was, but nobody seemed to know where she went. Neal wasn't discouraged though. He excused himself and went outside to find her.

At the beach, he saw Kersen and Merpati trying to make sandcastles. He quickly approached the two kids for information.

" _Kersen, Merpati, you wouldn't happen to see Miss Sierra around here somewhere, would you?"_  Neal asked them.

The two children looked at him and then at each other, and then pointed at two completely OPPOSITE directions.  _"That way!"_  the two said in unison.

Neal chuckled and shook his head.  _"I get it. Did she by any chance tell you_ _guys NOT to tell me where she went.?"_  he asked again.

Merpati gently nodded her head as a yes, while Kersen shook his head vigorously.

Neal smiled at the two.  _So, this must be what having kids must feel like._  he thought. _"Okay, I'll make you guys a deal...I'll help you build your sandcastle after you tell me where Miss Sierra is."_  Neal said.

The two looked at each other once again. Merpati whispered into Kersen's ear. Then, the young boy spoke up.  _"You help us with our sandcastle first, and THEN we tell you where Miss Sierra is."_  Kersen told him.

" _Smart kid."_ Neal muttered.  _"Okay then."_  he agreed.

They began to build the sandcastle. The children started to help him out at first, but merely stood there after a while and let him do all the [work](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/9/Almost_Paradise). The looked in awe of what Neal was building. He worked diligently, and eventually finished his little kingdom made of sand. He paused briefly, admiring his handiwork.

He lifted his head to look at the kids.  _"What do you think? Good enough?"_  he asked. The two nodded their heads and both gave him the two thumbs up sign.  _"Now, tell me where Miss Sierra is. A deal is a deal."_  he told them.

The two kids paused, and then looked behind him. Neal turned around, only to find Alex trying to duck away and hide from him again.  _"Too late...I already saw you."_  he called her out.

Alex slowly came out from the corner.  _"Hey."_  she greeted in a casual tone. She looked sternly at Kersen and Merpati, who quickly ran away, laughing.

" _Hey yourself."_ Neal replied. _"You've been hiding from me."_ he accused her.

" _Now, why would I do that?"_  she asked.

" _You tell me."_  he said.

Alex looked past him and saw the sculpture in the sand. She gasped out loud in astonishment.  _"Neal, that's beautiful!"_  she praised his work. She moved closer to have a better look. It was a model of New York City, made out of sand.

" _You're changing the subject."_  Neal pointed out, as he moved closer to her.

Alex ignored him and focused on the sandcastle.  _"Hey, that's the McNally Jackson."_ she said pointing to a small sand building.  _"And that's Lombardi's! Best pizzeria place in NoLiTa!"_ she exclaimed with delight.

Neal annoyance quickly dissipated as he heard the joy in her tone. He moved closer behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin upon her shoulder.  _"You really like it?"_  he asked.

" _Yes."_  she answered.  _"You really can turn anything into a work of art. Show off!"_  she teased. She stared at the sandcastle once again.  _"You must miss it a lot."_ she said, in a more serious tone.

" _Don't you?"_  Neal asked her.

" _Yes...but I can always go back if and and when I want to."_  Alex pointed out.

" _And I can't."_  Neal said flatly.  _"Well...I'm in paradise now, so it really doesn't matter."_  he declared.

" _Liar."_ she told him, before pulling away.

" _Where are you going now?"_  he asked.

" _I have things that I need to do."_  she responded.

" _The only thing you need to do at the moment is keep me company."_  Neal told her.

Alex shook her head.  _"I have some place else where I need to be."_ she said firmly. She tried walking away, but Neal stopped her.

" _The only place where you need to be is here with me."_ he said.  _"Come on, Alex! You can't deny me that. It's my birthday."_  he pointed out.

" _Speaking of which, don't you have a party you need to get back to?"_  she asked.

" _I don't have to do anything that I don't want to. Right now, I want to spend time with you. Consider it a birthday gift."_  he answered.

" _I already gave you your present."_ she reminded him.

" _I'll give your gift back to you if you promised to stay with me."_  Neal offered.

" _You can't just vanish at your own party."_ Alex told him.

" _Why not? It's my party. You're sneaking away...I'm coming with you."_  Neal replied.

Alex laughed slightly.  _"Fine, then."_  she said softly.

" _What's that?"_  Neal asked.

" _I said okay...you can come with me."_  she answered, as she walked away.

Neal grinned widely. He took one last look at his New York City sandcastle, before turning away to follow Alex.

" _Where are we going?"_  he asked, jogging quickly to catch up to her.

" _You'll see."_  she answered mysteriously.

They kept walking until they reached the end of the shore. Alex pulled away a net covering, to reveal a wooden, double-ended lapstrake rowboat, about 14 feet long.

" _Hmmm...yours?"_ Neal asked.

" _It belongs to a friend of mine. He lets me borrow it every now and then."_  Alex replied.

Neal helped her push the boat into the water. They both hopped in. Alex gave him a life vest.  _"Put that on."_ she told him, while putting on her own jacket. Once they were both secured, Alex took both of the oars, and started rowing.

" _I can do that, you know?"_  Neal said.

" _Do you know where we're going?"_  she asked him.

" _No."_  he answered.

" _I do...so that makes me in charge of the rowing."_ she said. "Now, all you have to do is sit there, keep quiet, stay pretty and enjoy the ride." she ordered him.

" _Yes, ma'am!"_  he replied. He kept quiet for the most part of the ride, until he couldn't take the silence anymore.  _"Be honest. You're going to take me to the middle of the ocean and then drown me, aren't you?"_  he joked.

" _If I wanted to drown you, I wouldn't have bothered with the life vest, now would I?"_  she pointed out. She stopped rowing when they were about a mile away from the shore. They sat there silently.

 _"Now what?"_  Neal asked.

" _Now, we wait."_ Alex answered.

" _Wait for what?"_ Neal insisted.

" _Shush!"_  Alex used her fingers to press Neal's lips together to keep him quiet. She paused for a moment.  _"You hear that?"_  she asked.

Neal shook his head. He was about to say something, when he heard huge splashing sounds from the water, followed by high-pitched shrills and chirps. Not too far away from their location was a pod of bottlenose dolphins playing in the water.

" _Welcome to Dolphin Bay, Caffrey!"_  Alex announced.  _"This is when the life vest comes in handy."_  she said, as she pushed him into the water.

She chuckled as she heard him gasp in surprise. She quickly joined him within a few seconds. Together, they swam closer to the pod. They watched in amusement as the dolphins did flips and dives. A few of them leaped into the air , while some 'walked' on water using their tails. They listened as the dolphins whistled and made loud clicks and squeaking sounds, as if they were trying to communicate with them.

" _Whoa!"_  Neal shouted.  _"That was very inappropriate!"_  he said to the dolphin who just poked him in the butt.

Alex laughed.  _"That's Oscar. It's his way of saying hi."_  she told Neal.

" _Nice to meet you Oscar."_  Neal said to the dolphin. He shifted his gaze to Alex.  _"You know their names?"_ he asked her.

Alex nodded.  _"You already met Oscar. That one to your left is Matina. The one next to her is Rani. Over there is Kai. The one next to him is Darwin. That one is Ula. And this baby one right here is Kishi."_  she said, pointing to every dolphin of the pod.  _"Everyone, meet Neal George Caffrey."_ she said, followed by loud chirping sounds.  _"They're very glad to meet you, Neal."_  she translated.

" _Pleasure's all mine."_ Neal laughed.  _"Uh oh...seems like Kai and Ula are having a fight."_ he said, noticing how Kai was head-butting Ula, while Ula scratch her tooth at Kai.

" _Uhm...no."_  she replied.  _"It's...one of their rituals."_  She looked away from Neal, slightly blushing.  _"Dolphins tend to behave aggressively when they're about to mate."_  she added.

" _Mate?"_  Neal repeated.  _"Hmmm...KINKY!"_  he chuckled. He slowly swam closer to Alex, turning her around to face him.  _"Thank you."_  he said.

" _For what?"_  Alex asked curiously.

" _Oh, I don't know...for being fantastic and amazing."_  Neal replied.

" _You say that now...but the qualities you find so interesting and amusing about me at the moment, will be the same reasons that you'll hate me for in the end. You just wait and see."_  Alex scoffed, as she tried to swim away.

Neal caught her before she could escape. He wrapped one of his arm around her, while his other hand gently cupped her chin. Slowly, he brought her face closer to his.  _"Do you trust me?"_  he asked her.

Alex wanted to say no. But there was something in Neal's eyes...something intense, which made her reconsider.  _"Yes."_  she whispered, nodding her head.

" _Then TRUST me."_  Neal told her.  _"God knows I don't deserve it. But if you give me another chance, I promise you won't regret it. I am done hurting you, Alex. I just want to make you happy. Please, believe that. I NEED you to believe that."_  he pleaded.

If past experiences have taught her anything, it's to take anything that Neal Caffrey says with a grain of salt. Only, something seemed to be different this time. He seemed different. Her head was screaming for her to turn away; her heart was shouting for her to take a chance. She stared into Neal beautiful blue eyes, and all her doubts melted away.

" _I believe you."_  she answered softly.

Neal's face beamed with happiness. He pressed his body closer to her and pulled her into a deep, slow kiss. A kiss filled with promise. A kiss that seemed to last an eternity. A kiss that jolted her body right down to her core. They both moaned into each others mouth, and only pulled away when they ran out of breath.

They held each other close, while they continued to watch the playing dolphins, occasionally giving each other passionate kisses. Eventually, the pod of dolphins swam away, as the sun began to set.

" _We should be heading back too."_ Alex told him.

Neal nodded as they swam back to the boat. He took charge of rowing the boat this time, as they returned to shore. Alex just sat there quietly, staring longingly at Neal. He smiled back at her.

" _What are you thinking?"_  he asked her.

" _I can't wait till we get back to shore."_  she answered, biting her lower lip seductively.

Neal grinned widely.  _"Me neither."_  he told her.

Once they got back to the island, they put the boat back to its place and covered it up again. They took their life vests off and were on their way back to Neal's villa when they heard a commotion. Alex gasped and quickly covered her mouth. She completely forgot. Lima's voice broke into her thoughts.

" _Here he is!"_  Lima announced. Everyone exclaimed and greeted Neal back. Lima gave Alex a stern look.  _"You were only supposed to keep him occupied until we were ready."_ she chastised her friend.

" _Sorry. We lost track of time."_  Alex apologized.

Lima noticed both their appearance, wet and disheveled.  _"I bet."_  she teased.  _"Alright, Blue...go mingle with your guests. We need to do some girl talk."_ she told Neal.

" _Didn't we already have a party earlier?"_  Neal asked Lima.

" _That one? That was for the children."_ Lima scoffed.  _"This is the real fiesta...the after dark party. For ADULTS only."_ she said, wiggling her eyebrows.  _"Enjoy!"_  she added before quickly pulling Alex away from him.

Neal tried to protest, but the two quickly disappeared in the midst of the crowd. He sighed and looked around him. He was surrounded by a huge gathering of people...some of them he knew, most of them were unfamiliar. There was a group of island people beating the drums, surrounded by face-painted fire-breathers and half-naked fire dancers. He saw Charlie and Tango dancing with a few island girls, while Mozzie tried his hand on playing the drums. Neal chuckled. On any of his past lives, this party would have been his kind of scene. But at the moment, he only had one thing on his mind, and that is to be with Alex.

He pushed his way out of the crowd, desperately searching for her. Finally, he found her standing by the portable bar next to Lima, watching the crowd enjoy the festivities.. He quickly grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her away. Side by side, they ran together, away from the crowd. They went into a secluded are, underneath the trees.

Neal pushed Alex gently, easing her back against one of the kelapa trees. He took her mouth and kissed her fervently, until he had her moaning.

" _I need you, Alex!"_  he told her.  _"I need to be inside you so badly. I need to taste every inch of you!"_  he whispered, in between kisses.

 _"Later, I promise."_  she told him.  _"You just need to be patient."_  she added, followed by another moan.

" _I think I've stretched my patience long enough!"_  he said, gently nipping her lower lip in between his teeth.

Alex winced, and pulled away slightly.  _"You can't just ditch your party twice in one day."_  she reminded him.

" _I want my own private party...just the two of us."_  he demanded, as he placed open-mouthed kisses on the side of her neck. His hand slid underneath her soft cotton shirt, caressing her breasts non too gently, while his other hand slithered its way inside her denim shorts, his nimble fingers working their way inside her.

Alex let out a loud whimper, as she felt his fingers massage her core. It was a good thing no one could hear her through the loud music. She gasped and moaned louder while Neal continued his merciless assault on her body. She wrapped hers arms around his neck, her teeth gently latched on to his shoulders, biting him gently. She could feel her entire body shaking, as she inched closer to the edge. She mustered up her remaining strength to pull away slightly.

" _Neal...please...not here...not now!"_  she begged, her body quivering.

Neal growled in protest, but eventually obeyed. He stopped his assault on her body, and rested his his forehead on the side of her neck. Once he regained his composure, he raised his head and stood up straight.  _"Fine!"_ he replied gruffly.  _"Not here."_  he repeated. Without warning, he scooped up Alex's body and draped her over his shoulders. Without permission, he began to carry her away, like a caveman dragging his mate back to the cave.

" _Neal! What are you doing? Put me down!"_ she demanding, screaming and kicking aimlessly.

" _No!"_ he replied abruptly.  _"You said not here, not now. Well then, I'm taking you back to my place and have my way with you."_  he told her.

" _But...your party!"_ she reminded him.

" _In case you haven't noticed, the party is going on, with or with out us. They're having fun...why can't I? It is MY birthday, after all."_  he pointed out, as he continued to carry her struggling body.

They ran into Charlie on their way back.  _"What's a crack-a-lackin', Firecracker?"_  he asked Alex, obviously quite tipsy.

 _"Charlie! Could you please tell Neal to put me down!"_  she ordered him.

 _"Yeah, right! Like that's gonna do you any good."_  Neal told her. He turned to Charlie. _"Listen, man...you're in charge of the party now. Crank it up to a semi-respectable level."_  he said to the older man.

 _"Cool beans, Blue Eyes! You can count on me!"_  he gave Neal a two-fingered salute.

" _TRAITOR!"_  Alex screamed at Charlie.

" _Now, now...say goodnight, Alex."_  Neal told her, chuckling softly.

" _Goodnight, Alex."_  she obeyed, admitting defeat, as she allowed Neal to carry her back to his villa without struggle.

" _About damn time!"_  Neal said, grinning in triumph.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER NINE** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *Hope you like this chapter. Thanks for all the continued support.


	10. The Oncoming Storm

Back at the Neal's beach front villa, the simple task of opening the door to his place prove to be difficult for him, with Alex slung over one shoulder,

" _Will you look at that...the great Neal Caffrey unable to open a simple door!"_  Alex said in mocked surprise.  _"You can put me down now."_  she chuckled.

Moments after Neal successfully opened the door, Alex ran inside, with Neal closely behind chasing after her. Alex managed to dodge him as he tried to grab her again. The chase continued for a while inside the house, until they reached the living room, where the sofa and table served as obstacles for Neal.

" _Come here!"_  Neal ordered her.

" _Ask me nicely."_  Alex told him.

" _PLEASE come here."_  Neal replied, trying to grab her again.  _"So help me, Alex, when I do catch you...and I WILL catch you...oh the things I'll do to you!"_  he warned her as she managed to dodge his grasp again.

" _PROMISE?"_  she asked cheekily, before fleeing from him yet again.

Neal swiftly ran after her till they reached the kitchen. He caught her while she tried to avoid the kitchen table, slowing her movements. He pulled her body close to his, allowing her no escape. He then kissed her fervently on the lips, his tongue probing her mouth, making her moan. His kisses later traveled lower, licking and kissing her neck, his beard gentle scratching her skin.

" _Mmmm...that tickles!"_ Alex moaned, which only made Neal do it more.

She held him closer, her hands held the back of his head, her fingers half-pulling his hair, as his mouth continued its titillating exploration of her body. He pushed her gently, her back now leaned against the counter top, with him standing in between her legs. She then noticed the bottle of Lafite she gave Neal earlier, which he left on top of the counter.

" _That's my[gift](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/10/Almost_Paradise)."_  Alex mentioned.

" _Hmmm? Yeah...I had to get it away from Mozzie, before he gets any ideas."_  Neal said, before he resumed kissing her.

" _You haven't opened it yet."_  Alex pointed out.

" _I'm[saving](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/10/Almost_Paradise) it for a special occasion."_  Neal replied, in between kisses.

" _No time like the present."_  Alex said, pulling away from him yet again, much to Neal's frustration.  _"It is YOUR birthday. What could be more special than that?"_  she added, as she went through the cupboard and got two wine glasses and a wine bottle opener.

" _It's an $8,000 bottle of wine."_  Neal reminded her.

" _Of which I have THREE more cases of back at my place."_  she revealed to him.  _"Don't tell Mozzie that though...the last thing I need is him breaking into my house and helping himself to my wine collection."_ she snickered.  _"Now, will you do the honors?"_  she handed him the wine bottle and the opener.

Neal obliged and opened the wine bottle. Alex then poured the wine on to the glasses.  _"So, to what should we toast to? You should make a wish."_  she told him.

" _I already made a wish earlier when I blew the candle out on my birthday cake."_  Neal reminded her.  _"And no...I am not telling you what it is. It won't come true."_ he added.

" _Come on, Caffrey...tell me. You never know...I could be a genie sent here to make your wishes become a reality."_ she teased him.

" _Oh yeah? Where's your genie outfit? How am I supposed to believe you if you're not even dressed as the part?"_ Neal asked, the thought of Alex wearing a seductive genie costume playing inside his head.

" _Neal..."_  she said his name in a singsong tone.

" _I love the way you say my name."_  Neal said.

" _Quit stalling."_  she told him.  _"What's your wish?"_ she demanded again.

" _It's not important."_  Neal answered.

" _It is to me."_  Alex said in a serious tone.

Neal studied her face, and saw that she was earnest and sincere. He stared deeply into her eyes before he replied.  _" I want a slower path."_  he paused briefly and sighed. _"God, I never thought I'd hear myself say that out loud."_  he confessed.

" _What do you mean?"_  Alex pressed.

Neal looked at her.  _"You're NOT the only one who's tired of running."_  he answered.  _"Most of my entire life has been fast paced. Blink and you'd have missed most of it."_  he told her.  _"Growing up chasing after the truth made my younger years a blur."_  he said cryptically.  _"My adult life was pretty much made of one con after another."_  he added. _"And then there was Kate...pursuing her...loving her...God, everything went by so fast. Now, she's gone."_ he almost choked on the words.  _"And of course, there's Peter. Who would have thought that a stand up lawman like him could ever be friends with a criminal like me? Well, that didn't last long either, didn't it?."_ he recapped, his beautiful blue eyes almost welling up with tears.

Alex brought her hand to caress his face, he kissed her palm gingerly.  _"It's my life, Alex. It's the way it's always been. It's at constant breakneck speed. People that I care about go away and I miss them. Loved ones die, and I can't prevent it. Even when they leave me, I love_ _them more."_ he continued.  _"I just want a different path...a slower pace. A path where my mind isn't always racing a thousand thoughts a minute, to the point where my thoughts couldn't keep up with my feet. A path where I don't always have to run off in search of something or someone...or have to run away just to be free. A path where I can just take a deep breath, relax, and spend my days with out looking over my shoulders. That's what I wish for."_  he finished.

Alex looked at him and gave him a tender smile. She raised her glass to make a toast.  _"Here's to the slow path then."_ she said.

Neal smiled and raised his glass as well.  _"To the slow path."_  he repeated.

" _Cheers."_  Alex toasted, their glasses clinking.

They sipped their wine in silence for a while. Then, Neal took her glass from her hand and sat it on the counter, along side his own. He pulled her closer and kissed her with wanton longing.  _"I want you."_  he told her, not mincing his words. He said it clearly, honestly and direct to the point.

" _You have me."_  she replied, as she returned his kisses.  _"Do with me as you wish...whatever pleases you."_  she told him in between moans.

Without warning, Neal swept her off her feet and carried her off to his bedroom, where he undressed her and laid her gently into bed. He kissed her all over her body, made love to her deeply and passionately, once...twice...three times over, until sleep finally claimed the both of them.

* * *

Alex woke up in Neal's arms...in Neal's bed...with a huge, satisfied smile on her face. She stared at his face for a while. He looked a bit younger and more innocent while he slept. Her hand gently swept a strand of hair that strayed towards his eyes. He stirred gently, but didn't wake up. She admired his body, in all its naked glory, before her gaze traveled back to his beautiful face.

" _Can I keep you? I'll take great care of you and do everything in my power to make you happy, I promise. Just let me keep you."_  she begged the sleeping figure in a barely audible whisper.

Alex continued to stare at Neal in admiration. She wanted him for so long, only their timing was always a bit off. Now, they found their way back to each other and they're finally at that point in their lives where they both want the same thing. Her only wish is to stay that way forever.

She sighed and slowly got out of Neal's bed. She cautiously pulled the sheets from the bed, careful not to wake Neal up, and wrapped it around her naked body. She silently sneaked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Last night's passionate encounter with Neal left her sated but thirsty.

On her way back to the bedroom, she passed by Neal's art studio a few rooms away. She went inside and was stunned to see the sculpture that was before her eyes. She stood there, speechless...words failed her at the time, as she stared at Neal's beautiful creation. She walked towards it, wanting to take a closer inspection. A statue of a winged young man in the act of giving a passionate kiss to his beautiful lover who had a pair of butterfly wings. She was fortunate enough to have seen the original, but this was much better...it had that special Neal Caffrey touch.

Caught up in reveling at the sight of the sculpture, she didn't notice Neal come up from behind her, without a stitch of clothing on. She was surprised when he wrapped his strong arms around her waist and nuzzled the curve on her neck, seductively kissing and licking it.

" _You're out of bed. Why are you out of bed?"_ he asked her in protest.

Alex giggled, never taking her eyes off of the statue.  _"I got thirsty."_  she answered.  _"What are YOU doing out of bed?"_  she asked in return.

" _I got lonely."_  he answered, he lips started to gently nibble on her neck.

She held his head closer, her fingers tangled on to his hair. She continued to stare at the statue.  _"This is beautiful, Neal!"_  she gasped.

Neal stopped kissing her, and rested his head on her shoulder. _"You like it?"_  he asked her.

" _I LOVE IT!"_  she exclaimed.  _"Honestly, Neal...this is even better than the original."_  she complimented.

" _It's yours."_  he told her.

Alex turned to face him.  _"Neal, I can't accept this. A piece like this...it belongs to a gallery."_  she said.

" _I made it, with you as my muse. It belongs to no one else but you."_ he insisted.

Alex looked at the statue, and then turned her gaze back to Neal.  _"I don't think I can thank you enough for this."_  she told him.

" _Oh, I can think of a way that you could."_  Neal answered suggestively.

He turned her around to face him and pulled her body closer to his. His mouth took hers, and his tongue probe inside her depths. He pried her fingers that gripped the sheets which wrapped her body, only to let it fall to the ground. Gently, he lowered her body down to the floor, his lips never leaving hers. With an insatiable hunger for her, he claimed her body once again, as she laid there screaming his name in ecstacy over and over.

* * *

Basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, they both lay bonelessly on the floor, fully sated. Neal pulled the sheets over to cover their naked bodies, while Alex rested her head on top of his chest, listening to his heart beat.

" _Amazing!"_  she said breathlessly, staring at the Cupid and Psyche sculpture. Neal's precious gift to her.

" _You're welcome...I aim to please."_  Neal boasted.

" _I meant the statue...the sex wasn't half-bad either."_  she teased.

" _Wasn't half bad?"_  he repeated.  _"Really? Fairly certain that your screams were a few decibels higher than normal!"_  he bragged.

" _Fine...you were great, as always. A truly fantastic lover."_ she admitted.  _"You don't have to be so cocky about it."_  she told him.

" _Right...have you met me?"_  he asked rhetorically.  _"I have always been 'cocky'. I take great pride at my 'cockiness'!"_  he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  _"Women have always admired me for my for it. Why else would you have fought Kate over me?"_  he kidded, his eyes twinkling.

Alex looked deeply into his eyes.  _"I have never fought Kate over you."_  she said with sadness and regret.  _I should have._  she added silently to herself.

Neal noticed the sudden change in her mood, and mistook it for jealousy.  _"Alex, I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk about Kate when I'm holding you in my arms."_  he apologized.

" _Don't be."_  Alex told him.  _"That was the first time in a long time that I've seen or heard you mention her name without sadness in your eyes."_  she said.  _"Happiness is a good look on you."_  she remarked, before she turned her gaze back to the statue.

Neal carefully studied the expression on her face as she stared at the statue.  _"What's on your mind?"_  he asked.

" _It's just that no one has ever done anything like this for me."_  she answered.  _"Everything good and beautiful I've ever had in my life, I've either had to steal from someone else, or risk life and limb to recover it from the depths of the sea. This is the first time that someone has willingly given me something so priceless, without asking for anything in return."_  she confided in him.

" _Priceless? Come on...it's not the Mona Lisa."_  he said.

" _I'm serious, Neal. This means a lot to me. More than you'll ever know."_  she told him.

His fingers tilted her chin to face him again and kissed her softly on the lips.  _"You know, Mozzie said that this statue is the representation of you and I...me reviving you with my kiss."_  he informed her.

She laughed softly.  _"Oh really? So, that would make you my god of desire and erotic love, then? Talk about cocky..."_ she let her voice trail off.

" _Which would make you my goddess of the soul."_  he pointed out.

" _Nah...I am nowhere near as flawless as her."_  she shook her head and pulled away slightly from him.

Neal wouldn't let go of her though.  _"You're just as beautiful...maybe even more."_  he praised her.

" _You flatter me, you silver-tongued DEVIL!"_  she smiled.

" _GOD."_  he corrected her, motioning to the statue.  _"God of desire, remember?"_  he reminded her. He paused briefly.  _"While we're on the subject of flaws..."_  he lightly traced the thin scar in the middle of her thigh.  _"You ever gonna tell me about your scars?"_  he asked. _"I mean, I know about the one on your shoulder, but the rest is still a mystery."_ he said.

She brought her hand to cover his.  _"That old thing? Met some bad Chinese while trying to procure the sword of Qin Shi Huang. Fight ensued...I got sliced."_  she answered nonchalantly.

Neal raised an eyebrow.  _"Qin Shi Huang? You got sliced by the sword of the first emperor of China?"_ Oddly enough, he was more impressed than concerned.  _"What about this one?"_  he asked, his fingers touching the scar on the base of her rib cage.

" _Gardening accident."_  Alex replied flatly. She saw that Neal didn't believe her.  _"Fine! I don't wanna bore you, but it's a wound from another sword. Well...a dagger actually. I ran into a dagger. Well...I ran into some Russians who stabbed me with a dagger. A very priceless dagger. It was a gem-encrusted dagger presented to Mikhail Romanov by the Shah of Persia. "_ she confessed.

" _Jesus, Alex!"_  Neal exclaimed.

" _I was helping out a friend."_  she replied cryptically.

Alex said nothing more, so he let go of the subject. His fingers traveled upwards, stopping the scar right above her heart.  _"What about this scar?"_  he inquired.

Alex went silent for a while. She looked at Neal, took his hand on hers, and kissed it.  _"A little hard to talk about that one."_  she said.

" _You can tell me anything...I won't judge."_  he assured her.

" _It's a gun shot wound."_  she replied after a long pause.

" _Really? Doesn't seem like one."_  he remarked.

" _It's an exit wound..."_  she said, as she took his hand and brought it behind her.  _"This is the entry wound."_ she added. Neal felt it...a tiny dip close to the base of her spine. Neal closed his eyes as he realized...someone had shot Alex in the back.  _"Bullet entered there...zig-zagged inside my insides a few times...and then exited right above my heart."_  her voice quaked a little as she spoke. She looked at Neal and saw him paled a little. She smiled weakly.  _"Took me a while to recover, but I survived. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."_ she declared.

" _Who did it?"_  he asked.

" _I don't know...that part is still a mystery to me."_  she answered.

Neal shook his head, she was shot in the back and she didn't even know who did it. With luck like that, no wonder Alex retired early from that life.  _"You could have come to me, you know? I would've watched your back and made sure that nothing bad happened to you."_ he said.

" _I couldn't...you were in prison at the time."_ she replied.  _"Look, can we not talk about this anymore? No need to rehash painful memories."_  she told him.

Neal nodded in agreement. He held her body tightly in his arms and made a vow to himself. He silently swore to never let her go.

* * *

As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Neal and Alex were inseparable. They did most things together. They spent some time helping out at the new Children's Village. Neal found out how much he enjoyed teaching arts to little kids. He also took great delight in watching Alex play with the children. Alex finally took him scuba diving. They even went to Tulamben, the place where Alex's parents died, to pay their respects. Neal no longer grew bored of of paradise. They explored the islands, with Alex as his guide. They made great memories to cancel out the bad ones from their past.

During the nights...well, the nights were even better and more exciting. Neal spent most of his nights in bed with Alex. They either stayed at her place over the water or at his villa by the beach...either way, their nights were filled with passion. They made love to their heart's delight and then fall asleep with their bodies tangled up in each other. They enjoyed each others' company and made every moment count. It had been a while since either of them experienced this kind of happiness. And they were indeed very happy.

One lazy afternoon, Neal held Alex tightly in his arms, as they lay in a hammock outside the balcony on her over water bungalow. They had an amazing view of the sunset. It was a great location to just let yourself get lost at nature's beauty, and ponder the world and your place in it.

Neal was deep in thought, when he heard Alex's voice.  _"What do you want_ _in life, Neal?"_  she asked him.

" _What do I want in life?"_  he repeated.

" _Yes, what does Neal Caffrey want in life? Have you figured it all out? I mean, you must have had dreams when you where younger."_  she pressed.

" _I wanted everything."_  he answered.

" _Everything?"_ she asked.

" _Yes. I wanted to have everything...see everything...be everything...experience everything...know everything...do everything. I wanted everything."_  he replied.

" _But you can't HAVE everything."_  she reminded him. _"And even if you can...you don't get to KEEP everything. No one is ever allowed to have it all."_  she pointed out.

" _That was the 'old' me."_  he told her.

" _And what does the 'new' you want?"_  she asked again.

Neal looked her right in the eyes.  _"I want 10,000 more moments like this. Holding you this close. Touching you like this. Kissing you all over. What I want in life, I already have at this moment. I'm right here...I'm with you. And I will NEVER, EVER be too far away to feel you."_  he answered sincerely, at true romantic at heart.

Alex looked at him, with slight terror in her eyes.  _"Never say 'never ever', Neal!"_ she told him.

Neal smiled and held her tighter.  _"Nothing bad is going to happen."_  he assured her.

Alex melted into his embrace. She tried to shake that feeling off...the feeling of worry and concern. Her heart and her brain both have failed her in the past, but her gut never did. And her gut was telling her that something was about to go wrong. There was something in the air...something foreboding. A disturbance was coming, she could feel it.

" _There's a storm approaching."_  she said in a very soft whisper. She closed her eyes and shivered.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER TEN** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *Alright...this chapter was a bit longer. The reviews from the previous chapters inspired me to go on. Again, many thanks for the continued support.
> 
> *My version of how Alex got her scars...I figured, she wasn't as smooth operator as Neal was.
> 
> *There's a storm approaching...any guesses?


	11. It Has Begun...

It had been raining for almost the entire week. Not the perfect beach weather, so people mostly spent their times indoors. Most popular places on the island were either the cabanas or the pubs. Neal was in an artistic mood, so he chose to stay indoors, inside his art studio back at the villa. Alex, on the other hand, was busy helping out in the tiki bar. Lolana's was crowded, with both tourists and locals alike.

At a time when [business](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/11/Almost_Paradise) is as packed as it was right then and there, one can hardly notice every single patron, much less, tell them apart. Locals looked like every other local, and all the tourists pretty much looked the same. All except for one...the man who just walked in.

The man came in out of the rain, took his hood off, and brushed the droplets of water off his clothes, his fingers ran through his dark-brown hair. He caught Alex's attention as soon as he walked in. He was tall, about 6 ft. 2, in his mid to late thirties. He was built like an athlete, upright posture, hard bodied although not overly muscular...something Alex noticed when he unzipped his rain jacket. He has a clean-shaven, handsome face...not the Neal Caffrey [degree](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/11/Almost_Paradise) of good looks, but handsome nonetheless. Yes, this man certainly stood out in a crowd.

The man surveyed the area, as if he was looking for something...or someone. His hazel eyes, very expressive, locked into Alex's, and he headed closer towards the bar. He flashed her a very enigmatic smile, warm but full of mystery.

Alex never forgot a face...she would certainly not forget someone like this guy...but something about him seemed very familiar. She may not recognize his face, but she felt as if she had known this man from somewhere. And his presence set off warning bells inside her head. It warned her that this guy spells TROUBLE.

 _Great! Just great! Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, he walks into mine._ Alex thought.

The man reached the bar, focusing his attention on Alex. His smile grew wider, naughty...almost devilish.  _"Seems like my luck's improving. First time in seven years, I finally get a vacation...I get here in paradise, and it rains up a storm that has no end. Things appear to be looking up now that I found you."_  he told her.

" _Nice..."_  Alex replied flatly.  _"Chat up lines like that must get you laid all the time."_ she said sarcastically.

" _Just being friendly, ma'am."_  he said, tipping his imaginary hat.  _"Tell me something...what's a dime-piece like you doing in a dive like this?"_ he asked Alex.

" _Dime piece?"_  Alex repeated.  _"Wow...you're bringing back the classics! Been a while since I've been called that! What can I get for you, Buster?"_  she asked him.

" _Whatever you have on tap is fine. Name's Nico, by the way."_ he answered.

" _Well, NICO...we have Budweiser, Dos Equis, Fosters, Hoegaarden, Guinness, Blue Moon, Newcastle, Stella Artois, and the Back Hand of God. But I don't have you pegged for a beer drinker, so how about one of the 'Three Wise Men' instead?"_  she told him.

" _Three Wise Men?"_  he asked.

" _You know...Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Jose Cuervo. The Three Wise Men."_  she answered.

Nico chuckled.  _"I'll have a Jack Daniels, then. Black Label."_  he answered.  _"Actually, make it a double. It's been that kind of a day."_  he said.

" _Gotta admire a guy who takes his liquor seriously."_  she observed.

" _Is that the key to your heart? A man who likes his liquor?"_  he inquired.

" _Key? What makes you think my heart is locked?"_  she asked him.

" _You have that certain 'air' about you..."_  he let his voice trail off.

" _Really? Why? Is it because I'm just not that into you?"_  she asked rhetorically.  _"If you MUST know, I already have a boyfriend. And even if I didn't... I am still NOT that into you."_  she told him, putting emphasis on every word.

" _Why do girls like you always have a boyfriend?"_  Nico asked, shaking his head.

" _Girls like me? Well, probably because I have acute nymphomania and an unlimited supply of booze."_  she answered.

Nico smiled.  _"I like your sass."_ he told her.

" _You got a very nice 'sass' yourself, Buster."_  Alex replied.  _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other customers to serve."_  she turned around and walked away, leaving him to his drink.

Alex walked towards the end of the bar, where Charlie was seated. She noticed the worried look that the older man had on his face. He was staring at Nico, seemingly very interested.

" _Where's Blue Eyes?"_  Charlie asked her, never taking his eyes off the stranger at the bar.

" _He's back at the villa, working on a painting. Can't do anything else in this weather. Although I did promise to take him to Luweng Jaran to go spelunking once the sky clears up."_ Alex told him.

" _Good place for him. The little guy with him?"_  Charlie asked again.

" _Yes."_  Alex replied.  _"Why do you ask?"_  she was getting worried.

" _See that fella over there? The one who was flirting with you earlier?"_  he asked. Alex nodded.  _"Well...Tango told me that the guy's been going around island to island, asking for information regarding someone named 'Victor Moreau'."_  Charlie informed her.

Alex's expression turned grim. She knew the guy was trouble.  _"Anybody talked?"_  she asked Charlie.

" _Nope. The beauty of this island is that the people know how to keep a secret."_ Charlie replied.

" _Good. Make sure it stays that way."_  Alex told him. She leaned closer to the older man.  _"Any idea on who this guy is and what part of the 'federal alphabet soup' food chain he's from? He said his name is 'Nico'...I highly doubt that that is his real name."_  she said.

" _Only one way to find out."_  Charlie replied. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat.  _"Care to pull the old 'Splash and Bump' on the guy?"_ he asked her.

Alex nodded, her smile matching his. She saw that 'Nico' paid for his drink and was getting ready to leave. She got a pitcher of ice cold beer and hurriedly walked towards him.

" _Oh my God! I am so sorry!"_  Alex told Nico after 'accidentally' splashing the contents of the pitcher all over him. While Alex distracted him, Charlie 'bumped' Nico from behind. Unnoticed due to all the commotion, he expertly lifted the guy's wallet from his back pocket.

" _It's okay."_  Nico told her.  _"Anywhere I can clean up around here?"_  he asked Alex.

Alex directed him towards the men's room. While he was gone, Alex looked at Charlie, who signaled to follow him in the back room.

" _What have you got?"_  Alex asked him once they were alone.

" _You're not gonna like this, Firecracker."_  he replied. He opened up Nico's wallet, revealing his ID...along with his badge.  _"He's with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. Special Agent Domenic Peluso."_  he told her, letting out a low whistle.

" _Damn it!"_  Alex cursed under her breath.

" _He's packing heat too."_  Charlie added.  _"That felt like a Walther PPK-L, .32 ACP, hidden down the small of his back."_  he informed her.

" _You can tell what kind of gun the guy's armed with just by bumping into him?"_  she asked curiously.

" _Hey...I had a life before I became a thief."_  Charlie answered mysteriously.  _"What are we gonna do?"_  he asked her.

" _First, we give THAT back to him."_  Alex said, pointing to Nico's wallet.  _"Then, I'll go tell Neal and Mozzie...we'll figure out a plan from there."_  she said.

When they returned to the bar, they found no sign of Nico.

" _The guy here earlier, where is he?"_  Alex asked Tango.

" _He just left a few seconds ago."_  Tango replied.

Alex handed the wallet over to the young man.  _"Go after him and give him this. Tell him he dropped it by the bar."_  she told him.

Tango nodded, took the wallet and quickly left. Outside, the young man caught up with Nico, while Charlie and Alex watched for the window, away from sight.

" _Mister! Hey, mister. You dropped your wallet back there."_  Tango said convincingly, quite a good little con man himself.

" _Thanks, kid."_  Nico told him.

As Tango nodded and left, Nico checked his wallet. Satisfied that all the contents were still there, he put it back in his pocket. He looked around, as if aware that he was being watched. Slowly, he walked away.

Charlie turned to face Alex.  _"You gotta go warn Blue Eyes. I have a feeling this guy means business."_  he told her. Alex nodded and left.

* * *

Alex ran as fast as she could back to Neal's place. She hurriedly went inside, in his art studio, where she found him with Mozzie. Neal saw the worried look on her face and became concerned.

" _Something wrong, Alex?"_  Neal asked, walking towards her.

" _We need to talk."_  she told him.

" _That is never a good conversation starter."_  Mozzie chimed in. He saw the serious look on Alex's face.  _"And that's my cue to leave."_ he added, as he put down his wine glass and stood up from his chair.

" _Actually, you need to stay. This involves you too."_  she told Mozzie.

Mozzie furrowed his eyebrow.  _"What's going on?"_  he asked.

" _Some guy walked into the bar earlier. Charlie said that he's been asking questions about 'Victor Moreau'."_  she informed them. _"The locals won't talk...but if this guy is here, chances are he isn't alone. Only a matter of time before he finds out where you are."_  she pointed out.

Neal remained silent. He started to pace slowly, his jaw set. _"What's the guy's name?"_  he asked.

" _Domenic Peluso. Special Agent Domenic Peluso. I saw his badge...he's from DSS."_ she answered.

" _DSS? Wow, the G-Men are going all out to find you."_  Mozzie said.  _"What's the plan?"_  he asked Neal.

" _Plan? You need to get the hell out of the island!"_  Alex interjected.  _"There is no conning this guy into letting you go. He knows your identities...both the real ones and the fake. Your aliases are burned."_  she reminded them.

" _He only knows Neal's...not mine. He knows nothing about Mozzie or Bob."_ Mozzie corrected her.  _"He only has knowledge of Neal Caffrey and his previous aliases, mostly because of his involvement with the Suit."_  he continued.

" _Yes, I realized that. But how how does he know about 'Victor Moreau'?"_  she asked.  _"The only people who knew, other than the three of us, are Lima and Charlie...and I know for a fact that they wouldn't talk."_  she added.

Mozzie paused and looked at Neal.  _"The five of us may not be the one people who knows..."_  he let his voice trail off, followed by an awkward cough, while Neal continued to remain silent.

Alex stared at him.  _"Neal?"_  she said, as Neal turned to face her.  _"Please tell me you didn't say anything to Agent Burke."_  she implored him.

Neal shook his head.  _"I didn't."_  he answered.  _"It wasn't Peter."_ he said.

" _Then who?"_  Alex pressed.

Neal looked at Mozzie, who gave him an encouraging nod. He turned back to Alex and sighed.  _"It was Sara. She found the fake paperworks inside the safe back at my apartment in New York."_  he confessed.

" _Sara? Sara Ellis? Your girlfriend?"_  she asked.  _"The insurance investigator? The same woman who chased you all over Europe just to find that Raphael and nail your ass to the wall? That 'Sara'?"_  she continued.

" _We were under the impression that she wouldn't say anything to the Feds."_  Mozzie replied, earning a glare from Alex.

" _Oh...you believed that, didn't you?"_  Alex shook his head.  _"Are you guys rookies? 'Cause that sure sounds like a rookie mistake to me. So much for not trusting anybody."_  she spat out, her voice filled with anger more than jealousy.

" _The FBI have found ways to find me in the past. We don't know for sure that it was Sara who told them about my new alias."_  Neal defended her ex.

" _Of course not! For all we know, it could have been June!"_  Alex said sarcastically, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

" _Look, Alex...I can't talk to you when you're like this. I need you to simmer down, please."_ Neal told her calmly.

Alex lowered her head, her anger still evident. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.  _"You're right. I'm no good to anyone like this."_  she turned around and walked away.

" _I didn't ask you to leave, Alex!"_  Neal called after her.

Alex paused, but didn't look back.  _"I need to clear my head. I'll be less 'hysterical', and hopefully, more helpful, when I get back."_ she assured him. She left the room, and then the villa.

There was a long, silent pause after that. From the window, Neal watched as Alex disappeared. Mozzie merely stared at his friend.

" _Alex was right, though."_ Mozzie said, breaking into Neal's thoughts. Neal looked at him.  _"There's no conning our way into freedom...not this time...not with this guy. The Suit, maybe...but not this guy."_  Mozzie continued.  _"Hate to say this, mon fr_ _è_ _re...but we need to get the hell out of Dodge."_  he pointed out.  _"Of course, this is all up to you. You run, I run, remember?"_ he reminded Neal.

Neal gave his friend a quick hug.  _"Thanks, Moz."_ he said.

" _Not a problem."_  he replied.  _"I'll go check...see what I can find out about a certain 'Special Agent Domenic Peluso'."_  Mozzie put on his hat. He looked at Neal.  _"You go and find your girl...get her back. See if you can tame her down a notch."_  With that, he turned around and left, leaving Neal all alone in his studio to ponder on what happens next.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *Special Agent Domenic Peluso is a mix of Michael Weatherly and John Wayne. Why? I don't know. I don't argue with inspiration.
> 
> *DSS = Diplomatic Security Service. They are the federal law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State. One of their tasks is to track and capture fugitives who have fled U.S. jurisdiction in order to avoid prosecution.
> 
> *I'd like to think that there's more to Charlie than just being a common criminal. He has other skills.
> 
> *I appreciate all the continued support. Many thanks for all your patience. Hope you like reading this chapter. Please feel free to leave comments and kudos.


	12. Exit Strategy

It had been several hours since Neal last saw Alex back at his place. He had been walking around the island for hours, out in the rain, trying to find her but failing to do so. He looked everywhere, but it seemed as if she disappeared yet again...she was very good at that.

Neal sighed and shook his head. He needed to find her. He needed to reassure her that everything's going to be alright. But most of all, he needed to ask her a very important question. And her answer could very well determine their future together.

" _There you are!"_  Mozzie interrupted his musings.

" _Did you find out anything?"_  Neal asked him, as they walked side by side in the rain.

" _Indeed, I did."_  Mozzie answered.  _"You didn't find Alex."_  he said, stating the obvious.

Neal shook his head.  _"I looked everywhere...scoured the island. She's nowhere to be found."_ he told his friend. He dialed Alex's cellphone number only to get the voice mail yet again.  _"She's not answering her[phone](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/12/Almost_Paradise) either."_  he added, sounding defeated.

" _Well, I hate to add more to the bad news...but this guy, Peluso, isn't just some 'suit' we can shrug off."_  he told Neal.  _"As it turns out, Special Agent Domenic Peluso is an elite member of the DSS. He's not just 'good'...he's one of the best there is. When the Feds want to find someone, they call him."_ Mozzie informed him.  _"Not only that, he also has special privileges, being an intermediary officer between the DOJ and the State Department, as well as an inter-agency liaison to US-NCB Interpol."_  he enumerated.

" _So, you're saying we NEED to worry about this guy, then?"_  Neal said.

" _Just a tad."_  Mozzie quipped.  _"Let's get out of the rain,shall we? I'm all water-_ _logged and starting to chafe."_  he told Neal, as they headed to Mozzie's villa.

* * *

Once they arrived at his villa, Mozzie noticed that the door had been jimmied.

 _"Neal...didn't you say that you looked for Alex EVERYWHERE'?"_  he asked.

Neal was too preoccupied to care.  _"Yes."_  he answered, taking out his phone again.

" _Scoured the island, did you?"_  Mozzie asked again, slowly opening the door.

" _Mmmhmm."_ Neal replied, dialing Alex's number once again. He then heard a phone ring. Not just any phone, but Alex's phone. He turned around, just as Mozzie was opening the door.

" _Well, that can't be right. Maybe you didn't look hard enough. Because if you_ _really looked everywhere, then you would have found where she is. One place where you SHOULD have looked is HERE!"_  Mozzie opened the door wider, revealing Alex inside the villa.

Neal and Mozzie went inside. Alex just stood there, unmoving. There she was, dressed in all black from head to foot, eerily reminiscent of the old days back in New York, when they used to pulls jobs together.

" _What the hell took you two so long?"_  she asked tersely. She took her hood off to reveal her face. She didn't look angry...she didn't look anything. Her face lacked any expression.

" _Hello to you too, Alex."_  Mozzie greeted her.  _"Did you really feel the need to jimmy the lock? That was rude...you could've just asked Lima. She has a key."_ he told her. Alex just stood there silently and stoically.

" _Wow...this is just like in my dream!"_  Mozzie announced.  _"Only you were wearing a latex Catwoman outfit and sporting a bullwhip and a-"_  he said playfully, before Neal cut him off.

" _Not now, Moz! Not now..."_  Neal warned him. He moved closer to Alex.  _"Where have you been?"_  he asked her.  _"I've been looking everywhere for you."_  he told her.

" _So I heard."_  Alex replied, her face remained expressionless. She turned to face Mozzie and took out a big, brown envelope hidden inside her jacket.  _"I've come bearing gifts."_ she told him, handing the envelope over to him.

Mozzie took the envelope and opened it. He was surprised to see the contents. Inside the envelope were fake passports and other documents for him and Neal. Basically, it was a packet containing their new identities. He took his 'paperworks' and passed the rest to Neal.

" _Where did you get these? Your 'cobbler' works fast!"_  Mozzie told Alex.

" _I had a life before I came to paradise, remember?"_  she replied cryptically.

Neal took out his new fake passport.  _"James Maine."_  he muttered.

" _You're lucky. I got 'Jeffrey Coyle'!"_  Mozzie told him. He turned to Alex.  _"Now, do I look like a Jeffrey to you? Jeffrey Coyle...sounds like a nerdy name. I'm more of a Barry than a Jeffrey!"_  he complained.  _"Hi, baby doll...name's Barry."_  he said, his voice lowering down a few octaves, sounding very husky.  _"See? I can pull off a 'Barry'. I want to be Barry!"_ he whined in his normal voice.

" _I don't give a shit what you want!"_  Alex snarled, the situation finally getting a rise out of here. She took a deep breath to compose herself.  _"Maybe in your next life, Moz. At this point, Jeffrey is the one you're stuck with."_ she told him calmly. She took out a white envelope from her breast pocket.  _"Here you go."_  she handed them over to Mozzie.

" _What's this?"_  Mozzie asked.

 _"Exit strategy."_  she answered, as Mozzie opened the envelope.  _"Two tickets to Taipei, one way."_  she added.  _"Whenever you guys are ready, just let Charlie know. He's arranged a transport for you two, from here to Denpasar International Airport."_  she added, trying hard to avoid Neal's eyes.

Neal tried to reach out to her, but she quickly pulled away.  _"Once you've landed in Taipei Songshan Airport, you need to call Gong Wei and Huang Lei. They'll help you out...they owe me a favor. "_  she looked at Mozzie.  _"I'm assuming you STILL know how to contact them."_  she said.

" _Of course, I do!"_  Mozzie answered indignantly.  _"Ahhh...'The Puppet Master' and 'The Crypt Keeper'. Those were the bad old days!"_  his eyes twinkled, as he reminisced. He earned curious looks from Neal and Alex.  _"What? That's what they called themselves back then."_  he said.  _"I was called 'The Invisigoth'!"_  he added.

" _Whatever."_  Alex said.  _"Just pack your bags and let Charlie know when you're ready."_ she told them, as she turned to leave.

Neal grabbed her lightly by the waist, preventing her departure. He turned to Mozzie.  _"We need a moment."_  he told his friend.

" _I can't believe this! You're kicking me out of my own place?"_  Mozzie complained. He saw the look on Neal's face...his eyes almost begging.  _"Fine! I'll be right outside! Let me know when you're done."_  he grumbled on his way out.

Once Mozzie was out of earshot, Alex pulled away from Neal.  _"What do you want, Caffrey?"_  she asked, very annoyed.

" _We're back to Caffrey, now? I was just getting used to you calling me Neal. I like that much better."_  he told her.

" _Well, you'll need to get used to people calling you 'James' pretty soon."_  she reminded him.

There was a long pause, until Neal broke the silence.  _"Why did you only get fake documents for me and Mozzie?"_  he asked.

" _I don't understand the question."_  Alex replied.

" _Don't play dumb, Alex. It doesn't suit you. You could have gotten yourself a fake identity as well. Why didn't you?"_  he pressed.

" _Because I don't need 'em."_  Alex answered.

" _Damn it, Alex! You know that I would ask you to come with us!"_  Neal raised his voice. He pulled her closer.  _"_ _I'm asking you to run away with me."_  he told her in a softer tone.

" _No."_  she replied. It was short and emotionless.

" _No? That's it? NO?"_  Neal repeated.

" _I'm not leaving with you, Caffrey."_ she told him.

" _Why not?"_  he pressed.

" _I don't want to."_  she answered.

" _Why?"_  he asked again.

" _I just don't!"_  she raised her voice.

" _Give me a reason!"_  his tone matching hers.

" _Because you're YOU!"_  she snarled at him.  _"You're like a child...you act on impulse and you do things on a whim!"_  she added.

" _YES! And you've known this for how long now? Alex, you know ME! Flaws and ALL!"_  he reminded her.

" _Yes, I DO know you, probably better than most of the women in your life. I know you well enough to know when to give up."_ she told him, sounding so defeated.

" _Don't give up on me...don't give up on us. Please, come with me."_  he pleaded.

" _Is that what you said to Sara? Did you ask her to come with you too? You know what? Forget I asked...I don't wanna know!"_  Alex snapped at him.

" _Alex, Sara is in my past. Just like Kate is in my past."_  Neal tried to explain. _"But us...we can have a future together. All you have to do is come with me."_  he told her.

" _There is no 'US', Caffrey. There's no 'WE'. There's a 'YOU' and a 'ME', but there is no 'US', no 'WE'...not anymore."_ she told him. She turned away from him to wipe the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath before she faced him again.  _"I'm not going with you, Neal. Unlike you, I can't just pack up and go. There are people here who I care about. And by some miracle, they care about me too. I can't just leave them behind!"_  she explained.

" _Not even for me?"_  Neal asked.

" _Not even for you."_  Alex shook her head.  _"Don't look at me like that. For years, I have been that one part of your life that was the easiest to let go off! Just leave! You've done it so many times before...I'm sure you can do it one more time. Leave...don't look back!"_  she said to him. She walked towards the door and motioned for Mozzie to come back inside.  _"We're done here."_ she told Mozzie.

" _So, everything...is okay now?"_  Mozzie asked once he was back inside.

" _As well as can be expected."_  Alex answered, without looking at Neal.  _"As I was saying earlier, Gong and Huang can help you once you get to Taipei. Whatever you do after that is entirely up to the two of you."_ she told them.  _"You can change aliases again...move to another country...do whatever you like. I can't know about it. It's for the best."_  she continued.

" _Plausible deniability...we get it."_  Mozzie told her.  _"I take it this means you're not coming with us."_  he assumed.

Alex shook her head no.  _"Anyway...in case you're looking to change locations after Taiwan, may I suggest Macau...Casablanca...Moscow...Dubai...or maybe even Timbuktu. Just any place where-"_ she proposed.

" _...There's no extradition treaty to the United States."_  Mozzie interrupted her.  _"We know! This ain't our first time at the rodeo, silly girl."_  he added. He turned to face Neal. _"I'm thinking Cape Verde...or Brunei...or maybe Nepal! I've always wanted to go there! Hell, if the two of us can't get lost in a nation of 30 million people, we should probably just surrender!"_  he said excitedly.

Alex silently applauded Mozzie's enthusiasm. She knew that he was only doing it to distract Neal. She looked up and met Neal's gaze, and smile at him weakly. You could see the pain in both their eyes. Slowly, she turned around and slipped out of the villa, unnoticed by Mozzie...but it broke Neal's heart to watch her leave.

" _Are you even paying attention?"_  Mozzie asked, breaking into his thoughts.

" _Yes, Moz...Nepal sounds great."_ Neal answered with feigned excitement.

Mozzie looked around.  _"Where did Alex go?"_  he asked.

" _She's gone."_ Neal answered.

" _You okay with that?"_  Mozzie asked him.

" _Not like I have any choice in the matter."_  Neal replied.  _"She said no, Moz."_  he added, the pain evident in his eyes.

" _Maybe it IS for the best."_  Mozzie told him.

" _Oh yeah? Best for who?"_  Neal asked him.

" _For you."_  Mozzie answered.  _"Sometimes, people come into your life briefly...only to teach you how to let go."_  he advised him.

" _Is that an original Moz-ism, or did you get that from a fortune cookie?"_  Neal retorted.

" _Mock all you want Neal...but the truth is that you have a rather unhealthy way of clinging on to things...of clinging on to people. Tell me I'm wrong."_ he dared Neal, but was met with silence.  _"You, my friend, are in a really bad need of a lesson about letting go...more than any man I've ever met."_  he added.  _"So let go. Let her go. That way, you can both be free."_  he told his friend.

" _It's not that easy."_  Neal answered.

" _I didn't say it would be easy. That's why a change of scenery is an order."_ Mozzie said to him, clapping his hands.  _"You run, I run. Let's run."_  he reminded Neal.

Neal thought for a moment. Then he smiled.  _"Oh, we'll run."_  he told Mozzie.  _"But first things first..."_  he added.

" _What do you mean?"_  Mozzie asked him, not liking the expression on his face.

" _You wouldn't happen to know where Special Agent Domenic Peluso is staying, would you?"_  he inquired.

" _Sure, I do. He's staying at that hotel near the resort we stayed back in Lombok."_  he informed Neal.  _"Why do you ask?"_  he pressed.

" _I need to know what HE knows."_  Neal replied.  _"Knowledge is power, remember?"_  he reminded his friend.

" _Yeah, but most of the time, ignorance is bliss."_ Mozzie told him.

" _Just trust me, Moz. You have nothing to be afraid of."_  Neal tried to reassure him.

" _You think this is fear, but it isn't. It's self-preservation...it's one of the most basic human instinct. Avoiding capture is how humans have survived for millennia after millennia. You think mankind would still be here if we didn't think, 'Oh, look, it's a saber-toothed tiger...let's run before it eats us!'"_ Mozzie replied exaggeratedly.  _"Peluso knows we're here. He's got our scent. We can't afford to waste time, Neal. If we're going to run, we should run NOW."_ he told him.

 _"I need to know what he knows about Alex, Charlie and Lima."_  Neal reasoned.  _"I have to be sure that they'll be safe after we leave. I need to be sure that Peluso won't make their lives a living hell once we're gone. I owe Alex that much."_  he continued.

" _And then, we leave?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _And then we leave."_  Neal assured him.

* * *

That night, clad in black, Neal left for Lombok. Thanks to Mozzie, he knew which hotel the agent was checked in at. It didn't take him long to find out which suite Peluso was staying in. It pays to be charming.

Stealthily, Neal climbed up to the balcony next to Peluso's room. After that, all he needed to do was wait. His patience was rewarded when he saw a man come out of the balcony next to where he was perched at. The man fitted Peluso's description. Neal smiled as he came out of the darkness.

" _Hello there, Special Agent Domenic Peluso. My name's Neal Caffrey. I believe you've been looking for me."_ he told the stunned DSS agent.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER TWELVE** ~

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *US-NCB = United States National Central Bureau. A branch of Interpol based in Washington.
> 
> *cobbler - someone who makes fake passports, visas, and other documents.
> 
> *You're probably thinking "Neal! What the hell are you doing?" Am I right?
> 
> *Three words. Peter. Soon. Promise! =D
> 
> *Many thanks again for reading this chapter!


	13. Deal or No Deal?

" _Hello there, Special Agent Domenic Peluso. My name's Neal Caffrey. I believe you've been looking for me."_ he told the stunned DSS agent.

Agent Peluso tried to hide his shock when he saw Neal standing in the next balcony...merely a few yards from where he was.

" _Neal Caffrey...nice to finally meet you in the flesh. Heard a lot about you."_  Peluso replied.

" _Don't believe everything you hear...I'm actually a hell of a lot better in real life."_ Neal bragged. He noticed that the agent was trying to dial his cellphone from behind his back.  _"I wouldn't do that if I were you."_  he warned Peluso.

Agent Peluso looked at him.  _"And why is that, Mr. Caffrey?"_  he inquired.

" _Because if you do that, then I'm going to have to do this."_  Neal took something out of his pocket. It was an oval-shaped object about as big as a silver dollar coin, with a blue button in the middle. He then pressed the button and smiled at the agent.

" _What exactly did you just do?"_  Peluso asked, trying to mask the look of concern on his face.

" _See, this little gizmo right here just jammed all cellphone signals within the 40 meter radius, oh let's say for a good couple of hours. That means no network. Ergo, no tweeting...no updating your Facebook status...no posting pictures on Instagram...no text messages...and, I can't really stress this enough...NO phone calls! Damn! A lot of people staying at this hotel are gonna be so pissed!"_  Neal taunted Peluso.

" _If this little visit is an[attempt](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/13/Almost_Paradise) to gain my trust, Mr. Caffrey, I'd say that you are failing miserably."_  Peluso said to Neal.

" _I'm not here to be your new best friend, Agent Peluso. I'm here to see what_ _makes you tick."_ Neal replied.

" _That would be very unwise, Mr. Caffrey. Think of how that would affect your friends."_  Peluso warned him.

" _Is that how you found me? By getting to my friends? Did you go snooping around my landlady's house? Or have you been badgering my ex-girlfriend for answers? Either way...that just earned you a[slot](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7885228/13/Almost_Paradise) on my shit list. So tell me...what's stopping me from stealing a Renoir, or a Van Gogh, or a Picasso, or maybe even a Da Vinci...and then leaving a nice little note saying 'Special Agent Domenic Peluso sent me here'. That would raise quite a few eyebrows with your pals over at Interpol, wouldn't it?"_  Neal provoked the agent.

" _Granted you are one of the best thieves there is, Mr. Caffrey...but not even you could do that."_  Peluso told him.

" _Don't tell me what I 'could' and 'could not' do, Agent Peluso...you don't know me."_  Neal admonished him.

" _I do believe that we got off at the wrong foot, Neal...may I call you Neal?"_  Peluso tried to get on Neal's good side.

" _No, you may not. Friends and family may call me 'Neal'...you're neither."_  Neal retorted.

" _Very well then, Mr. Caffrey. I am not here to antagonize you...quite the contrary, I'm here to help you."_ Peluso told him.

" _Oh! You're trying to help me...how, exactly? By bringing me back to the United States and having me serve a lifetime sentence at Sing Sing? No, thank you! I don't need your kind of HELP."_  Neal said.

" _I'm not here to bring you back...okay, maybe I am, but not in the way that you think. Like I said...I'm here to help."_  Peluso tried to explain.

" _This conversation is over. You'd do best to stay away. From me and from my_ _friends."_  Neal said, he started to back off.

" _Wait!"_ Peluso called him back.  _"We have a deal for you. I just need to call another agent...unfortunately, you've made that impossible at the moment. My friend could explain this a lot better."_  he continued.

" _And who would that be, I wonder? Special Agent Kramer, perhaps? No thank you! I'd rather be the lap dog of Satan!"_  Neal spat back, before turning away.

" _No, not Agent Kramer."_  Peluso denied.  _"It's Special Agent Peter Burke!"_  he blurted out.

Neal stopped in his tracks when he heard the name. He turned to face Peluso again.  _"You're lying."_  Neal accused him.

" _I'm not. Think about it...who's the foremost expert in finding you? Burke found you on more than one occasion. Is it really that hard for you to believe that he found you again?"_  Peluso asked.

" _Where is he? If what you're saying is true...then where is he? Where's Peter?"_  Neal pressed.

" _Give me time and I'll go get him. Just promise me you'll stay right where you are."_  Peluso bargained with him.

" _I don't think so. You think I was born yesterday?"_ Neal scoffed.  _"If there really is a deal, which I very much doubt at the moment...then I'll only talk to Peter. We'll talk...but not here, not now. If what you're saying is true, then you'll have Peter meet with me tomorrow. First thing in the morning, at the pier in Bias Tegul beach. I spot an agent other than you or Burke, and you'll regret it."_  Neal warned him.

" _Caffrey, wait!"_  Peluso tried to stop him.

Too late...Neal had already jumped off the balcony. With the skills of an expert parkour artist, he swung from floor to floor, half sliding, half climbing down, until he reached the ground...his body rolling as he landed.

Peluso quickly went after him. He headed to the nearest fire escape and hurriedly climbed down. He chased Neal down the streets, a good several yards away from him, when a motorbike suddenly stopped in front of Caffrey.

" _Going my way, Blue Eyes?"_  the mysterious man in a dark helmet asked Neal.

Neal grinned widely, before hopping in at the back seat. The motorbike quickly sped off, with Peluso still running after them. Neal laughed at the man's persistence, as he waved him a mocked goodbye.

* * *

When the motorbike finally stopped by the docks, Neal quickly got off. The man finally took off his helmet, revealing Charlie's face.

" _In here."_ Charlie said, motioning Neal to follow him.

Neal nodded, and followed the older man. They stopped next to a speedboat.

" _Hop in."_  Charlie told him.

" _Where did you get this?"_  Neal asked, as he did what he was told.

" _I know some people who knows some people that robs some people."_  Charlie answered, before starting the boat.

" _Thanks for the assist, Charlie."_  Neal told him.

" _You do what you have to do for family...whether I like it or not, you've become a part of my family."_  Charlie replied.

" _I kinda grew on you, huh?"_  Neal said with a smile.

" _You'll have Alex to thank for that."_  Charlie replied curtly.

Neal winced at the mention of Alex's name.  _"I asked her to run away with me...she said no."_  Neal replied.

" _Firecracker always listened to her head first...her heart second. Well...almost always."_  Charlie said, looking at Neal knowingly.

Neal wore a hurt expression on his face when he looked at Charlie.  _"So everything we've had...what the two of us have shared...all that we've been through together...did it mean anything to her? Is it really THAT easy for her to just forget all about us?"_  he asked.

Charlie paused for a while before he spoke.  _"This reminds me of a story..."_  he said, with a sad smile that barely reached his eyes.  _"It's from a while back...probably when you were still serving time at the Big House."_  he added, as he continued to steer the boat.  _"Hale...someone gave him an offer he couldn't_ _refuse. He was to steal this priceless...and by priceless I mean a LOT of zeroes here...Russian gem-encrusted dagger given by the Shah of Persia to Mikhail Romanov. Alex and I went along as back-up. Needless to say, we weren't the only one who wanted to steal the dagger. A struggle ensued, mayhem followed. Hale got shot in the leg...nothing major, but he was bleeding badly. Alex drove the getaway car while I played nurse and put pressure into Hale's wound. We get to the hospital, and they treat Hale...you'd think everything was fine after that, but NO! Alex keels over right in from of me...only then did we figure out that she got stabbed during the struggle...down at the base of her rib cage. Her black outfit hid all the blood. Firecracker nearly bled to death."_  he laughed bitterly as he told Neal the story.

" _That's how she got the scar."_  Neal said softly, barely a whisper.

" _That's Alex's style, Blue Eyes."_  Charlie said.  _"She gets hurt...she picks herself up, dust herself off, and pretend that nothing bad happened...afterwards, when no one else is looking, maybe find herself a dark place where she can bleed to death in peace."_  He turned to look at Neal.  _"But just because you can't see it, doesn't mean she's not dying inside. For years, she's built very high walls around her heart, and you've managed to tear them down. And when she fell for you...she fell hard. Now, you tell me...do you really believe that you didn't mean anything to Alex?"_  he asked Neal.

Neal was silent for a moment. In light of what Peluso told him earlier, Neal was faced with another set of choices. He shook his head and sighed. He wanted too many things in life...things he can't all have.  _"I don't know what to do."_  he said, mostly to himself.

Charlie smiled weakly. _"Sometimes, life is a lot like a dark tunnel...you can't always see the light at the end, but if you just keep moving, you will arrive at a much better place."_  he told Neal.

" _You sound a lot like Hale sometimes, you know that?"_  Neal told him.

" _He was a wise man and a foolish one...and it's an honor to be compared to him."_  Charlie replied.  _"Speaking of foolish...you mind telling me what the hell that_ _was all about? Going in there, confronting a Fed without back up...that was foolish!"_  he chastised the young con artist.

" _I just wanted to find out what he knows...what brought him here...what his plans are."_  Neal explained.

" _You want to keep your friends safe...you want to protect Alex."_  Charlie said.  _"Did you find out what anything helpful?"_  he asked.

" _Not sure if what I found out is true or not."_  Neal answered, sounding very concerned.

" _You don't have to worry about us."_  Charlie told him.  _"Don't stress about protecting her...at the end of the day, Alex can take care of Alex."_ he said cryptically.

" _And if she cant?"_  Neal asked him.

" _Well, that's what I'm here for, Blue Eyes."_  Charlie answered. He stopped the boat and turned the ignition off.  _"We're here."_  he announced.

Neal got off the boat.  _"Thanks for the ride, Charlie. And for the chat."_  Neal said.

" _Don't mention it, Neal."_  Charlie replied, as he watched the younger man walk back to his villa.

* * *

Neal opened the door and flipped the light switch on, and was surprised to see Mozzie waiting for him in the living room.

" _Jesus, Moz! You scared me half to death!"_  Neal exclaimed.

" _I'm all packed."_  Mozzie announced, showing him his toothbrush and then shoving it back into his pocket.  _"When are we leaving?"_  he asked.

" _About that...there's been a development."_ Neal told him.  _"I had a chat_ _with Agent Peluso-"_ he said, before Mozzie interrupted him.

" _You talked to him? Like face to face? The Fed who's after you, and you had a chat with him? Are you trying to play cat-and-mouse with him, like you did back then with the Suit?"_  Mozzie asked him frantically.

" _Funny you should mention Peter..."_  Neal replied. He saw Mozzie's confused expression.  _"Peluso said that Peter's here...and he has a deal to offer me."_  he told his friend.

" _And you believe him?"_  Mozzie asked.

" _No...that's why I told him to have Peter meet me at the pier tomorrow morning, at first light."_  Neal explained.

" _It could be a trap."_  Mozzie pointed out.

" _That did occur to me...I'm NOT a rookie, Moz!"_  Neal answered.  _"Of course, I_ _won't show up if there are other agents present."_  he continued.

Mozzie shook his head.  _"This is a bad idea. We should just leave. Just stick to our plan and leave now!"_  he said.

" _We're staying."_  Neal told him.  _"For now. Just until we've figured things out."_ he added.

" _I don't get it. I thought you wanted to run. You can get whiplash from changing your mind THAT fast, you know!"_  Mozzie yelled.

" _YOU wanted to run, Moz!"_  Neal yelled back. He spoke again in a calmer tone.  _"We've tried running...and we failed. What is it the you used to say...if at first you don't succeed, then maybe you just suck at it."_ Neal said.

Mozzie smiled weakly and shook his head.  _"It's the Suit, isn't it? It's the idea of the Suit coming for you...fixing everything and making it all better. He TOLD you to run, Neal!"_ he reminded him.  _"If he is indeed HERE, it's because he_ _wants to bring you back and maybe get back in the good graces of the FBI."_  he continued.

" _You don't know that. He may have a deal in the table for us."_  Neal defended Peter.

" _For you. A deal for YOU. There is no US here...you're the only one wanted by the Feds."_ Mozzie corrected him.  _"You've changed. You went from a world-class master criminal, to Suit Junior. All because of what? To gain Agent Burke's attention? His affection? His approval? His acceptance? Tell me, Neal, because I really am confused."_  he pressed.

Neal remained silent, at a loss of how to answer. Mozzie continued to speak.  _"You've grown content of your life as an 'FBI consultant'."_  Mozzie scoffed.  _"Really, it's just another word for 'snitch'. And might I add...quite a good little snitch you've become. What's worse is that you've managed to turn me into one as well."_ he tried to shame Neal.  _"Is this what you really want? You want to go back to wearing a dead man's clothes? Back to your civil servant job?_ _Back to burning your fellow con men? Are you really willing to walk away AGAIN from millions worth of treasure? Sacrifice all that you can have, just to be with your G-man buddy again."_ Mozzie pressed, which again was met with silence. _"Fine! Worship the ground that the Suits walks on...dream of having HIS life. See if I care."_ he said, as he headed for the door.

" _Moz-"_  Neal tried to stop him.

 _"Go get some rest. We want you bright-eyed and bushy tailed when you get reunited with the Suit tomorrow."_ Mozzie told him sarcastically, before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER THIRTEE** **N** ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES :
> 
> *Peter may or may not be in the next chapter. Mozzie may or may not be happy to see him.
> 
> *I just felt that Mozzie's anger needed to be addressed. After all, he was kinda downgraded from being Neal's partner-in-crime to being Neal's sidekick once Neal started working with Peter.
> 
> *Again, many thanks for reading this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.


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